Survive
by Rhaella Valysar
Summary: Erika longs to have a day for herself. Desperate, she agrees to trade something for it. Sadly, she wakes in a twisted reality where she was never born. With only a day left, she'll have to fix all the problems her absence caused. Ann/Jul & Er/Dom,songfic.
1. Out Of Line

**S.U.R.V.I.V.E. **_by Shadowgirl416_

_Hi! Just wanted to say that the word on the title doesn't have to do so much with the story. _

_But this could explain a lot-_

_**S**__tart your life anew_

_**U**__nderstand your problems_

_**R**__edefine your priorities_

_**V**__erify yourself worth through commitment_

_**I**__gnore your detractors_

_**V**__alue your loved ones_

_**E**__mbrace everyday as if is it your last_

_I don't own it, I took from the Saw 7 movie - so it belongs to them. _

_But those phrases have a __**lot**__ to do with this story, so that's why I decided to name it that way. _

_Also the story is inspired on the Shrek Forever After movie - any characters are used in this one though._

_Hope you like it!_

* * *

><p>Chapter 1: Out of line<p>

"Good night-" Barbie said, standing beside the light switch of her little sister's room. She smiled and moved her hands towards it to turn it off. Her sister gave her a sad look, followed by a whine.

"I'm not sleepy…" Barbie giggled and sat on the edge of Kelly's bed.

"Tomorrow you have to go to school-" the oldest blonde started saying, the youngest interrupted her.

"I don't want to go to school!" she complained, crossing her arms on top of her little chest.

"Why?" Barbie asked.

"Because… I don't like doing homework" her older sister laughed, and looked at her in a maternal way.

"You'll have to work and study to be someone in life and to _literary _have a life" she tried to explain to her young sibling.

"Then how come you don't have to do any homework?"

"Because I already _graduated_-" Barbie took Kelly's nose between her knuckles, making her giggle.

"Still, I wish I could have just _one _more day to myself… before school starts again"

"You know…" Barbie smiled and raised an eyebrow "-Those words remind me of a story" she 's face lightened up, she loved her big sister's stories!"Do you want to hear it?"

"I do!" she giggled.

Barbie smiled and laid more comfortably on Kelly's bed, staring at the ceiling while her little sister cuddled besides her."Do you remember that story about the princess and the pauper?"

Kelly instantly nodded.

"Let's start this story with a problem that surged before princess Anneliese agreed to get married with King Dominick… okay?"

"Okay" Kelly squealed.

"Once upon a time there was a very _ill _king, who was in charge of two young men. One, his _nephew _Frederick, the other one, his _only _son Dominick. He had very little time to decide which one of his two boys was going to be the new king, so he told them that the first one to find a good wife was going to be the new ruler of the kingdom. He didn't have any preferences, but he was hoping that his son won the challenge.

Frederick was evil, cruel and selfish - marked by a very sad past - though Dominick was the complete contrary of king knew the kingdom was going to be better in his son's hands, but Frederick wanted the crown and he wasn't going to give up so had his own plan to be king with his girlfriend who was the kingdom's witch - he could marry her but his uncle would never approve a sorcerer in the queen's place. So, they were going to trick the King to believe Frederick had another love interest, and then leave Dominick expulsed of the kingdom and make Frederick the new king-"

"How?" Kelly interrupted, Barbie laughed.

"The evil witch and Frederick were going to find a woman to pose as his new bride, to make Dominick's father believe that he had found a good wife faster than his son. And they almost got away with their plan - **but **when the king was about to declare his nephew the new king, a messenger broke in and told them that a _princess _was willing to marry Dominick-"

"Anneliese?"

"Yeah, you _do _remember." Barbie smiled.

"What happened next?" Kelly whined.

"Well, the story I told you before… Since Dominick was going to marry Anneliese, Frederick had no other choice but to accept his destiny. Now we're going to start with the real story, are you sleepy yet?"

"Nope, I want to hear the story, please."

"Alright… Let's start with a different prologue -

* * *

><p>Erika had longed for a day for her and only herself.<p>

Even when she was free and was singing out in the world she had work to do. Singing, signing autographs, making concerts when she was really tired…

Then she married Dominick, and she thought her life would change. She didn't have to sing with a sore throat or a tired body for money anymore and she had the man she loved at her **side**. Erika thought that being a queen was going to be an easy task and _more _with Dominick with her, but she was wrong.

She had to organize and watch everything that happened in the castle, she had to give exact orders to the maids, and she had to help Dominick with the kingdom's needs, also help him take decisions. She had to receive all the people that came to visit the palace -poor or rich- and attend their requests. And along with these and many other things she was desperate, then they were _overjoyed _when she discovered she was _pregnant_.

* * *

><p>"She had a baby?" Kelly interrupted, again. -Making her older sister loose her concentration in the story.<p>

"Kelly please" she chuckled "I can't tell you the story if you don't let me concentrate" she continued.

* * *

><p>Her life seemed perfect and complete; since she was pregnant she barely did anything. But not even in this condition she felt like she couldn't have a day for herself, she would vomit, be dizzy all the time, and felt like sleeping all just was not what she was expecting. Then the most important day in her life arrived, she gave birth to twins.<p>

The birth wasn't what she expected either, it was painful and exhausting. But then her babies would make her day happy…and after those sucking-energy days - they weren't allowing them to sleep at loved them, but sometimes she pretended not to hear would help, but she went almost all the times.

He was the _king _and needed that rest to face the days she didn't give up - and as they grew they got more and more mischievous. Little Erika would babble and scream all the day playing with an old dirty rag doll that once belonged to her mother. She wouldn't let her wash it or change it and it made a special sound when you squeezed it. Little Nicolas or _Nick _was very easy going - but when Dominick had to leave he would start crying and screaming, not to mention he always had his index finger stuck in one of his nostrils.

They were different, but they were twins and they _did _have things in common. They would both cry when it was bath time, when the food was of their dislike, when they were going to the doctor, when Erika brushed their hair, when it was raining, when there was too many noise around them, when the maids attempted to help with their care…Both parents were exhausted, _especially _one of the biggest tests of their lives was only a couple hours away...

Erika fixed her daughter's light brown hair as the little girl kept moving her head."Please sweetie, stay still-" she had managed to make a ponytail adorned with a big blue bow "Now look at me-" her daughter turned her big baby-blue eyes towards her, hugging harder the dirty rag doll making it squeak "Promise me that your ponytail will still be there at the end of the day" Erika raised an eyebrow, the little girl responded with a slight nod.

Erika tied another bow her little blue dress had in front, and fixed her sleeves."Mommy loves you." she hugged her baby girl as she giggled. Dominick entered the room, opening the door and standing with one of his arms behind him.

"Ladies, may I introduce you the new and refreshed Prince Nicholas." then the little boy entered the room, he was dressed in the same form that his dad was. Some blue elegant and formal clothing, similar to the red one Dominick as always, he had his index finger digging for gold in one of his slightly chuckled and helped her daughter get down of the chair she was in.

She sat to give _herself _some finishing had made some adjustments on her appearance; she had removed the braid that crossed her head to replace it with an elegant golden crown. Her eyes reflected nothing but tiredness; bags were starting to form under them - though she managed to make them came closer to her, admiring her reflection in the mirror. Erika felt some embarrassment, she was the queen and she looked awful. Or so she thought, he kept saying in his mind how _beautiful _she felt like if maybe she was getting _old _for her husband - that he was growing _bored _of wasn't correct at all, he loved her as much as he did when they got married. It's just that with children, and a kingdom to take care of, they didn't have much time to show love to each knocked at the bedroom door.

"Come in" Dominick called, as he fixed Nick's hair.

A maid opened the door."Your majesties-" she bowed, "I told them to wait for you to go down but _she _insisted on seeing you before the party-" the black-haired woman explained.

"Who wants to see me?" Erika asked, standing up from the chair as she fixed her hair.

"King Julian and Queen Anneliese" she replied, just in time when the duo entered the had a big happy grin on her face, though she looked different. Her hair was so much straighter and shorter, on top of her shoulders to be exact. Julian looked the same as always, but _happier _since he was _escorting _the woman he loved - his _wife_.

Since they were kings and queens, their meeting should have been more _sophisticated _and _elegant_. But they were _friends_, they had been through so much together that their reaction was stretching their arms to each other and greet with happiness and not with _formalness_.

Anneliese ran towards Erika, wrapping their arms around each other. Julian smiled at Dominick and they shook both blondes were baffled at how big the twins had grown, it hadn't even been 4 months since they last saw took little Erika in her arms, looking at her in a maternal way.

"So nice to see you guys!" Erika commented"It's so good you could make it" Dominick added.

"We wouldn't miss this for anything-" Anneliese kept looking at the little girl, Julian making faces to make her laugh. Both parents watched their friends playing with their children.

"Hey little guy, you shouldn't do that" Julian chuckled as he kneeled beside Nicolas who was picking his nose. The little boy giggled, Julian felt something in his heart when he heard that sound.

"So-" Erika started, all looked towards her. "When are you guys thinking of… _adding _someone to your family?" she dared to laughed as she put Erika down on the floor.

"_Actually_-" she walked closer to Julian to take his hand and placed a hand over her abdomen - Erika hadn't notice it before but it had increased in size since she last saw her!Julian continued.

"That's why we wanted to see you before the party…" Anneliese grinned along with Julian.

"I'm pregnant." she said, though Erika's reaction wasn't what she was expecting.

Erika and Dominick grinned, but showed no… excitement. They knew what was ahead of Anneliese and Julian's life when their baby was born.

Dominick smiled - but Erika thought that maybe waiting a little and enjoying more time together alone with your partner would had been better for her, and her best friend was going to join her club.

"I'm so - _happy _for you" Erika walked closer hugging Anneliese.

"For you too-" then hugged Julian.

"Congratulations" Dominick smiled, he was more… shy to show affection towards them.

Dominick had always felt some kind of respect for them - he felt guilty and ashamed for a while when he discovered he was going to marry somebody who was already in love.

He felt like if he had interfered with their love, he was going to marry by force the woman Julian loved. He was going to have a stranger for a wife who'd probably never love him and he would never love back - not to mention the hatred Anneliese was going to be collecting inside of her towards Dominick for making it impossible for Julian to be with her.

Thank God he met Erika!

His heart warmed when he remembered when he first saw her - he knew she was different the moment when she tripped in front of him returning to the castle after she had 'runaway'.

And the first day they spent together - the best day of his life.

The birthday party had started.

All the guests had arrived - the balloon-covered room was crowded by people. Their murmurs and chattering made it impossible to hear their own thoughts.

Erika took a deep breath to calm herself, she could say that day wasn't going to be a good day.

Nick resting his head on her shoulder, as she greeted some people at the party - Dominick carrying his daughter. Everywhere she passed, someone stopped her and greeted her - she didn't mind talking to them, but Dominick should have told her that he was going to invite people she had never met before.

Then mayhem started to grow-

"Your highness- the cake has arrived" a maid informed her, Erika nodded and followed her servant.

Erika eyed the cake, it was pink. She glared at the man who delivered it to the castle.

"It's pink" she commented, the man with the huge mustache shrugged.

"I know"

"This cake is suppose to be for a girl _and _a boy, that's why blue is more _suitable_"

"Look your highness, I don't make them. I just deliver them"

Erika's head started to throb as the desperation grew inside.

"It's my kid's first birthday" she looked down at the cake "-And this cake is addressed to '_Mary' _and it says '_Forgive me for the beans'_…" she blinked several times "- that doesn't even make sense!" she said, the man sighed.

"Your majesty, I already told you - I **only **deliver them."

"Look, you should have known you were bringing the wrong cake since you saw the box. I ordered a three-story blue colored cake - this one is pink, it wouldn't even last for half of my guests and it has a stupid thing written on it"

"Your majesty I'm sorry-"

"Leave with it - I'm not paying for it" Erika turned away and returned to the room where everybody was.

Dominick came closer to her.

"Where's the cake?"

Erika sighed "There isn't going to be any cake-"she frowned in confusion.

"What? What do you mean?"

She rolled her eyes she was way to mad to respond in a good manner to him.

She walked over some chairs where her daughter was and placed Nick beside her.

Erika's expression wasn't the happiest, and it made Dominick worried.

"What's wrong?" he stopped her, she glared at him and continued walking.

"Wait-" he grabbed her arm, she pierced him with her dark blue eyes.

"Look, just go make yourself useful and tell the maids to serve the food for the guests" her tone full of discontent and anger.

He was baffled, she pulled away.

"Hey, could you go to the nearest bakery and buy the largest cake you can find?" she asked one of her servants he nodded and started walking away.

She looked back and saw Dominick again; he was serious and kind of mad.

Dominick crossed his arms on top of his chest "Are you sure you locked away Wolfie and Serafina?" he asked, she nodded.

"Of course I did-" she assured

"Well I think you only locked them-" he pointed towards the table were all the food for the guests was on.

On top of almost every plate and bowl - a kitten had its head dug into the food it contained.

Serafina and Wolfie were not there to watch their kitties; maybe they were too big to pass through whatever their babies did to go there.

Maids started to remove the cats from there, but the food had to be thrown away.

Erika felt like fainting, but instead she got angrier.

She walked away towards her kids to clear her mind; she sat on a chair near by and sighed.

Another servant approached her-

"Your majesty-" he started, the queen looked up to him "-I'm afraid the fools you contracted to assist today aren't going to be able to arrive"

The brunette sighed, again. Her cheeks burning with redness, her head wanting to explode - Then she started to hear her daughter's rag doll squeaking all over her ears.

She yanked it out of the grasp of the infant and she started to cry - very loud.

"Shut up, Erika" she said as she put the rag doll on her pocket.

Suddenly, everybody in the room gasped and the room went dead silent. Erika walked through the crowded room to look for the source of the surprise and she saw Dominick standing in front of another man - Frederick.

She had heard very little of him but she knew enough to identify him.

His brown eyes fixed upon Dominick, whose face was turning red with anger.

"What are you doing here?" the king asked through clenched teeth.

The other man smirked "I just wanted to meet my _little _cousins"

Dominick walked closer and grabbed the man by his collar.

"How do you dare coming here after what you did?" Frederick chuckled, and showed no fear at his cousin's actions.

"Why so angry cousin? Look at all you have-" he pushed Dominick away, and then his eyes met Erika's.

"You have such a beautiful wife…" the brown-eyed man had never seen her before but he recognized who the queen was because of her crown.

Dominick struggled to control himself - he swore that the next time he saw him it would really be the last time.

Frederick's gaze found Anneliese in the crowd.

"_And _she has a twin sister, I see. Maybe my little cousin can learn to _share _with me by presenting her-"

Julian got out of the crowd and stood in front of his wife in a protective manner. And before he could talk to defend Anneliese, Dominick talked.

"Guards! Get him out from here!" he called, in a matter of seconds guards grabbed him by his arms.

"I don't want you near my family or my friends or my kingdom! Have I made myself clear?" Frederick smirked once more and nodded, the guards carried him away.

Dominick took a deep breath to calm down.

As soon as the intruder was out of sight, everyone in the room started talking and chattering.

For Erika this only meant a stronger headache - then the world started spinning around her…

The voices only grew louder…

Spinning faster and faster and faster…

She buried her face in her hands… but nothing could control her exploding stress.

And she took as much air as she could-

"EVERYBODY SHUT UP!" she screamed at the top of her lungs.

The room fell into a complete silence again, everybody staring at her.

She was panting; Anneliese dared to walk to her side and placed a hand on her shoulder.

"Erika, it's okay-" Erika pushed Anneliese away from her, making her fall to the floor.

Julian rushed to her side as his wife winced, and looked at Erika who had no sign of remorse for what she had done.

"It's **not **okay, Anneliese…" she walked a few paces away, and then turned back facing the pregnant woman on the floor.

"Oh! And by the way, it that fall causes you _worse_ things later - _you should thank me _- I've just made you a _big_ favor" Erika's expression reflected anger -

Anneliese's eyes started to fill with tears as she hugged Julian, they didn't respond - they didn't had anything to say to her.

Everyone baffled at the queen's behavior, they just couldn't do anything she was the _queen_.

Dominick ran behind her, he didn't saw what happened but understood the situation because he was able to hear it.

* * *

><p><strong>Author's note:<strong>

_Just wanted to thank my beta reader for this story: Avatarfan445 ! Thank you so much for helping me correct the spelling and helping me with this story! And I also wanted to thank Barbiegirl2435 for all of her support as well :D!_

_So, this first chapter was supposed to be longer but I decided to keep the tension in the story a little longer ;D_

_Sorry for the poor attention Anneliese and Julian get - the first two chapters won't have a lot of these two L. Anyway, Erika and Dominick fans I hope you really enjoy this and please don't freak on me - everything happens for a reason ;D_

_Please review! Let me know what you think about it._


	2. Deal

**S.U.R.V.I.V.E.** by _shadowgirl416 _

_Beta Reader: Avatarfan445 :D! _

Chapter 2: Deal

"Erika?" he called, as he found her pacing in their garden.

She glared at him and stood quietly.

"What happened?" he asked, her face stood the same and she didn't answer. He walked closer to her, aiming to touch her shoulder but she dodge his hand.

"_Honey_, what's wrong?" he really didn't knew what was wrong with her.

She was like this since the party started - she even insulted raised an eyebrow; a disbelieving expression mixed with a slight twist of insanity appeared on her face.

"_What's wrong?_" she said, her voice rising, "**What's wrong**?" she asked, the second time, screaming at him. "**This is all a mess**!" she yelled, waving her arms in the air once.

He was trying so hard to calm her down. Dominick knew the party was a complete disaster, so he tried to comfort her.

"Erika, we can find a cake and fix the party-" she cut him off.

"I am not talking about the party, Dominick - I'm talking about **my life**!" the anger in her eyes seemed to be burning his.

He was very confused by this statement, her life being a mess?

That last screaming complaint caught the attention of a certain creature that was hiding in some trees of the palace's garden. Her vibrant purple eyes searched for the persons arguing in the place and an evil smirk appeared on her mouth as she spotted them.

"How can you say that?" he asked in disbelief, she frowned and crossed her arms across her chest - looking away from him as he continued: "You have _everything_… You have friends who adore you, you have maids that do everything for you - you don't have to do nothing around here, we have two _wonderful_ babies and you have _me_ - a husband that loves you with **all** his heart" he aimed to take her face in his hands, but she pulled away.

"When was the last time I slept the whole night?" she started - still not looking at him and retaining her pose. "When was the last time I had the chance to spend some time alone with you? The last time I woke up and had anything to do - any responsibilities? When I didn't spend every single day with a headache? … When I didn't have to be walking around the palace to help someone… when I had a day for myself…"

"Erika those are the responsibilities that require being a mother _and_ a queen-" She looked at him, eyes getting teary.

"Then you should have warned me that marrying you would make me the world's unhappiest woman."

He felt a knife stabbing his heart a hundred times when she spat those words at him.

"_You really think you would have been happier without me_?" he asked, his tone low, sad and shaky.

She swallowed hard, lowered her head and nodded.

She really wasn't thinking about what she was doing or saying - she just had a message to send and she was going to deliver it whether he liked it or not.

He was trying so hard not to make his sobs audible for her, he bit his lip and tears ran down from his eyes."_What can I do for you to make you happy then_?" he softly whimpered, she shook her head keeping her sight concentrated on the green grass of the ground.

"_Nothing_" she whispered

"There must be something!" he snapped, his voice then filled with venom. She looked up and met his glassy eyes, she bit her lip.

"You can do anything…" she replied.

He thought about his kids, it was their first birthday and it was getting ruined by their own mother.

"You know what? We'll talk about this later - **after** the party." he said starting to walk away.

She stood there and when she felt like he was far enough -

She looked up to make sure he wasn't near her anymore.

And she stared to run - she ran past the garden - just ran and ran like if that action would take away all her problems.

Her feet started to hurt, but she kept running away from the castle.

Her vision blurred by the tears in her eyes, she kept running to were her legs took her.

After a while - her body gave in.

She collapsed on the ground, crying as hard as she could.

_Some minutes later-_

Then she heard steps getting closer to her, and then a finger pocked her back. Erika started to look around her, she wasn't home anymore.

More like in the middle of the near forest of her kingdom - the one that divided Anneliese's kingdom from Dominick's.

She got up from the ground and started shaking the dirt off her blue dress. She turned back and saw her crown on front of her face - she recoiled and slowly realized someone was giving it to her.

She took it and looked at the woman standing in front of her.

Her big violet eyes were what caught the queen's attention - she had never seen that eye color before.

"Your highness-" she bowed. Erika kept staring at her she had to be very poor to be dressed with that torn and ragged black cloak she had.

"_Hello_-" Erika replied, placing her crown on her head again. "Who are you?" the queen asked the weird stranger.

"**Oh**! _Silly_ me… You may call me_ Lily_, your majesty"

_"Lily…"_ that name sounded familiar to her.

"Your highness, please accept this handkerchief so you may clean those tears on your face" she handed a clean and white piece of fabric to Erika - who took it and wiped her eyes dry.

"Thank you, _Lily_"

"May I know the reason of those tears?" the black haired woman asked, as she took back the handkerchief from her.

Erika sighed "There are too many…"

Lily raised an eyebrow and grinned "Maybe what you need is some time off, your highness"

Erika looked at the woman, she had a point.

"Would you make me the honor of joining me for some tea?"

Erika needed to talk to somebody who understood her and didn't argue back at her, a stranger would be the perfect person to discharge all of her stress.

...

"I know! It's exhausting" Erika laughed as she took another sip from her cup. Lily placed some cookies on the little wooden table and sat in front of the queen.

"I used to think about having kids - then I changed my mind when my mother gave birth to my youngest brother." Erika nodded, looking around the little house of the purple-eyed stranger named Lily.

It was somehow… dark.

Almost no windows, dust covering almost everything, books everywhere, candles glued by their own wax on every corner, and a big black drawer in a corner of the little room.

_"Gothic"_

"So I heard you have two of them milady-" she commented, Erika nodded and sighed again.

"I do… I love them but- they just require so much _attention_ and _energy_. Combined with my royal duties is just- _unbearable_" Lily offered her a cookie. "Thanks" she took it.

"I understand you completely. A girl sometimes need… _time to herself_." Lily smirked

"Exactly!"

"Men don't need it so much, but women need spoiling…" she stood up from the chair, walking towards a drawer nearby "We need to feel special… important…beautiful…_free_." Erika smiled; this girl was almost reading her mind!

Lily took a paper out of the drawer and placed it in front of Erika."You know your highness. I am like… a _magical_ creature of the woods" she bent to speak on the side of Erika's ear. "I like you… _I'm just like you and you are just like me_" she smirked, Erika didn't see her though.

Lily continued, "I ran away from the comforts of my old home… because my husband was _caging_ me inside a house. And I wanted to be _free_, free to do whatever I wanted… so I came here and decided to start a new life with my magic."

Erika raised an eyebrow; Lily looked at her more directly."That's why I've decided to give you a _very special dea_l." Lily looked at the paper on the table; Erika followed her gaze and read the pretty bold letters that started the writing on the paper...

**'Free For A Day'**

She liked what she was seeing, but wasn't sure what it was.

"What is this?"

"This is your ticket to a whole day for yourself-" Lily grinned; Erika gave her a doubtful look."Allow me to explain - **No** _husband_, **no** _work_, **no** _palace_, **no** _visitors_, **no** _babies_, **no** _anything_ that will bother you, just _you_ and the world, you and your day - alone!"

Erika felt the happiness as she imagined all she could do in a day alone. It wouldn't hurt anyone, just one vacation day and then she will be happy to go back to her life.

But-

Should she really trust this stranger? She was offering way too much for nothing, something was fishy.

"Wait-" Lily looked at her."What's the catch?" Erika didn't know this 'magical creature's' intentions - the black haired woman grinned.

"If it was for me, I wouldn't ask for anything back but- this is a deal and it has it's rules." Erika raised an eyebrow. "To make the magic work you have to give _something_ to get _something_… to make it clear to you - I give you a day you give me a day." the pale woman explained, the blue eyed one kept being doubtful.

"What about my family? I can't just disappear and leave them-"

"But **that's** the _best_ part! It's a _magical_ contract, they won't even know you're gone…and by the time this day is up you'll feel like a changed woman" Erika fell silence for a moment. "This is magic, safe magic, your majesty. Feel free to choose to be free for a day and relax- or wake up tomorrow with a pile of work to do" Lily kept insisting - Erika nodded.

"So what day would I have to give up?" she asked

"Any day you want, a day in your life that you don't really like or don't remember…a day that you _wouldn't_ mind getting rid of … a day from your _childhood_…maybe when you were a mindless little baby"

That's a very good deal then. A day? That's all?

_"I deserve a day for myself and a day from my childhood to forget won't hurt me - it wasn't that pretty either."_

"Well… I guess I could give you one of the days of my childhood."

"**Perfect**!" she exclaimed, as she handed Erika a black feather to sign the watched her signing her name, her heart on her mouth, her hands shaking…

The queen was really doing it!

"Okay, so what's next, Lily?" Erika finished, handing the feather to the other was shocked and just giggled with excitement - she had done it!

"Just have a wonderful day, Erika" then she began laughing evilly and loudly.

'Can't wait to see Frederick's face!'

Everything started to crumble, it started to disintegrate!

Fading and falling to pieces - the world was falling on her...

* * *

><p>She fell hard on the ground, her back aching like it never had.<p>

_"Did I just fall from the sky?"_

She slowly sat back up, looking around her.

She was in a garden… in a _really_ familiar garden… she was in **her** garden!

But it wasn't like she last remembered it, it was dry and dead.

No flowers, no animals…no life, only the dry dead trees and some leaves on the ground.

She looked around, and finally stood up, shaking the grass off her dress and hair.

She saw a guard passing by, his uniform was very different from the ones she had on her guards.

"Hey, you!" she called, he looked at her. "What happened to my garden?" she asked, he instantly pointed his spear towards her.

She recoiled but frowned at him."What do you think you're doing?" he raised an eyebrow.

"Who are you?" he asked, she gasped. How couldn't he recognize her?

"I am Queen Erika." he chuckled

"Well '_Queen Erika_' where's your crown?" He asked pointed at her head, which felt lighter somehow.

She touched it and it wasn't there - only hair!

He leaned closer at her, examining all her facial features - a grin appeared on his face and he grabbed her arm and pulled her along with him.

"Come with me-" he said.

**_Author's note:_**

_A huge and special thanks for my beta reader: Avatarfan445 - Thank you soo much for helping me out! :D_

_So, you can guess everything that will happen next - I think ;D. _

_And thank you very much to everyone that left a review, it's very supporting to know people enjoy the things you write :D!_

_So PLEASE, leave a review! Tell me what you think!_


	3. Runaway

**S.U.R.V.I.V.E.** by _shadowgirl416_

_Beta Reader: Avatarfan445 :D!_

Chapter 3: Runaway

She had no words to explain what she had just seen…

Her castle, her _home _- was… was… different!

The colors, the things, the paintings, the furniture… everything!

"_Dominick- you better have an explanation for this"_

She made him mad, and _sad _- but he didn't change everything in their home.

Wait…

Maybe he was kicking her out! He didn't want to be with her anymore!

Oh God!

Her babies! She wasn't going to see them again!

"_What have I done? I said things that I really didn't mean - I love him, and without him in my life I wouldn't be able to go on. What have I done?"_

….

She entered the main room; she recognized it even when it was completely different.

Two figures sitting in the thrones that were supposed to be Dominick's and hers…

Were her eyes deceiving her?

As she got closer with the guard, she recognized the man sitting in Dominick's throne: Frederick!

And was even more shocked when she saw the woman sitting next to him, on her throne!

"_Lily_?" she breathed in disbelief.

The black haired woman smirked and stood up from the throne.

"I see you have done it, please wait until tomorrow to receive your prize. Now hold her while we talk to her…" she told the guard holding Erika.

"What have you done with Dominick?" she screamed trying to break free from the man's grasp.

"Look, darling. She is the idiot that signed the deal-" Lily chuckled as Frederick joined her side staring at Erika.

"Thank you for making this all possible" he mockingly said.

"What are you talking about?" Erika felt confused, venom and anger filling her voice.

"All of this - you did it" Lily replied pointing at everything around her.

"What? What have you done to me?"

"To you? _Nothing_, darling. I took your responsibilities away, _I only made you a big favor_" those words reminded Erika of what she told Anneliese when she pushed her - maybe she had done further damage... A damage that she wouldn't be able to cure or reverse.

Guiltiness started building up as she remembered.

"You see… we were waiting for you." Frederick continued "You ruined all my plans, so you had to be… _erased _from the story to make **us** have a happy ending"

Erika only watched them as they talked - what was going on?

"You wanted to be free from all the work that being a queen required - so I took it from you" Lily said.

"What do you mean?" she asked, then she remembered- "Where's Dominick?" she screamed, maybe if he was near he could help her.

"Dominick… he's _gone_." Frederick chuckled

"We are the rulers now - you are erased from the story and Dominick is… _another one_" Lily smirked.

"I don't know what are you talking about… please stop this-" tears where starting to form in her eyes.

"_Darling_-" Lily started as she took a paper out of her elegant black dress pocket "**You** signed the contract, **you** caused this" she showed to Erika, her name signed at the bottom of the piece of paper. "So tell me… _how are you enjoying your day_?" the witch mocked.

"What have you done?" Erika stammered

"Oh no! Erika, it's what **you**'ve done! Thanks to you, Dominick _couldn't _get married before Frederick"

"What?" She didn't have any idea of what they were talking about- the tall white man started explaining.

"My uncle wanted his son to be king, and to make that happen he had to get married _before _me - but Dominick's bride _ran away_! The king '_passed_' away and **I** took his place along with my _witch _girlfriend!" he cruelly laughed embracing the pale woman at his side.

"Don't call me that-" Lily flatly complained.

Erika processed the new information being delivered to her, examining where it could be wrong "But _I _helped the princess to come back… I pretended to be her so the marriage _wouldn't_ get cancelled!" Erika remarked, Lily took the contract again.

"How could you?… When you _never _existed." she giggled.

"I don't understand!" Erika's tears ran down her cheeks, Lily got closer to her.

"Here, let me spell it out for you sweetie" she pointed at some words on the contract "You gave me a day from your past - a day from your _childhood _that you didn't even remember…" she smirked, put the contract on Erika's pocket and let her to figure it out.

'_A day from her past, her childhood, which she didn't remembered…?'_

She looked up at the smirking evil rulers, her face smeared with shock.

"You took the day I was born." she sneered.

"No, Erika. You _gave _it to her" the king pointed at his wife as she smiled with pride.

"Enjoy this while you can, I'll find Dominick and one day I'll be back-" the violet eyed woman cut her off.

"Wait! … You haven't heard the best part - since you were never born when this day comes to an end… **so will you**!" Lily exclaimed as she giggled, her husband joined her with an evil laugh. Erika felt like fainting again, this couldn't be happening!

She was going to _die_?

No, no- maybe they were tricking her!

"Where's Dominick? Where's my family?" She screamed, the tears and sadness being replaced by anger and hatred.

"Silly little girl, you don't get it _do you_?" Frederick grinned, Lily continuing his statement "You see, you were _never _born… you _never _helped Anneliese and Julian, you _never _met Dominick - your kids don't _exist_" she grinned once more.

"OH! You see you got exactly what you wanted! And so did we!" Frederick commented.

Erika got angrier.

She had to do something about this, but staying here and letting them get away with this wasn't going to work.

She kicked the man who held her in his crotch - freeing herself from his grasp.

"Guards! Get her!" Both evil minds called in unison.

Erika started running as fast as she could - this was her palace she knew the way out.

Many men were chasing her and she just kept praying that they didn't throw those lances at her.

She finally got outside; she was near the royal stable.

Erika ran as fast as she could towards it, and pushed a man that was on top of a horse - sending him to the floor - she moved his leash to make him start running. The horse neighed raising his frontal legs to the air, then started running like the wind.

The guards saw her getting away and decided to say she escaped - she was on a horse she was probably miles away from there already.

But some guards decided to follow her with their own horses.

She kept her distance but she knew she couldn't hold the horse forever at this speed, so she decided to run away like she did at the party - towards the forest. The brown horse kept running deeper into the woods, until the guards were not making any noise - or they were so far away they couldn't hear them-.

The horse stopped gasping for air, Erika's hands were trembling.

How could this be happening?

Everything was gone.

Dominick was gone - _her babies _where gone!

Everyone she knew was gone…

Wait!

Anneliese and Julian!

They could help her!

She started her way towards the neighbor kingdom across the forest.

...

_After some hours -_

After climbing all the way up to the mountain top, Erika's horse got closer to the entrance of the familiar castle, a guard with a lance on his hand staring at her.

She looked up and met his gaze.

"Who goes there?" he asked, Erika started thinking about what she was going to answer.

She couldn't say the truth and say she was the queen from the other kingdom - the guard was going to think she was lying.

"I-I…I was sent here by - King _Frederick _to…h-m - deliver a message to the… King." she replied, her voice shaking - she was not very good at lying.

The man examined her for some seconds and raised an eyebrow.

"Why didn't they sent you in a carriage?"

"Well…huh-Because…letters don't _weight _that much" she was so busted.

"Can I see that envelope then?" he asked, she nodded. Thank God she had that stupid contract on her pocket, so she showed it to him.

"Are you armed?" she shook her head, placing the piece of paper on her pocket again.

"I have to know your name, to keep records" she nodded

"Madeleine…_Carp_" she smiled, the guard nodded and opened the door.

'_LUCK' _she thought as she entered the palace territory.

She stared at the castle, it was different from the way she remembered it.

The colors were completely altered; the mint-green ceiling was changed for a dark red and the rest she remembered was all pink it was…purple?

'_Wow, they really need some advice with color combinations'_ she thought, she could help them she had been combination colors for beautiful gowns almost all her life - she had some experience.

The weird thing that she notice was the gigantic 'P' placed in the entrance of the palace.

Why would they have a 'P' on their house, that letter wasn't in their names…was it?

No…maybe in their last names.

She decided to ask them those questions when she actually was with them.

Some guards stared at her; she pulled on the control of the horse to make him stop walking. One of them pulled a little piece of paper out of his pocket, showed it to another one and pointed at her.

Maybe Frederick had told Anneliese's guards to catch her, so even when she was at her best friend's house - she had to run from them.

She looked at how they walked closer, how they carried their lances and looked at her with bloodthirsty eyes.

'_Anneliese and Julian are going to get you all for this' _

She jumped down of her horse, and in the moment her feet touched the ground she started to run - again.

They started running behind her; she instantly spotted some bushes and jumped inside of them. They didn't saw her hiding there and kept running as she smirked with satisfaction.

Then she realized she was under the balcony of Anneliese's room, she assured herself of her location when she started to hear her singing…

Anneliese had to get away from him, just for some minutes to think about what made her happy.

He was suffocating her!

He was planning their first anniversary ball, and it was that night. For her it wasn't another year of a _wonderful _marriage, it was another year without _him_.

Her sorrow only grew when she remembered him… and how she had been forced to marry that…_person_.

Her only wish was to see him, just one more time. And confess everything she felt, but she knew that was never going to be true.

He was gone, probably with a new partner by his side. Living happy without her while she mourned his depart every single second of her life.

What could she do? _Anything_. It was all part of the deal, and she had agreed with it.

What could she do to feel better?… Sing her sadness away. Even when she knew it would only make it bigger and painful.

Anneliese walked outside, resting her elbow in on the railing of the balcony. Placing her hand under her chin to support her head.

She started to softly sing to the wind:

_This time, This place_

_Misused, mistakes_

_Too long, too late_

_Who was I to make you wait _

Her eyes started getting teary.

_Just one chance, Just one breath_

_Just in case there's just one left_

'_Cause you know_

_You know, you know…_

He finished climbing to be on top of the ceiling of the castle. It had been hard and dangerous but _she_ was worth it.

Just to take a _glimpse_ at her, to hear her sweet voice one more time… and _try_ convince her to go with him.

Those were the reasons he had to infiltrate in this territory.

_Her._

He walked carefully…he heard her singing and finally spotted her - his heart started beating faster.

The brunette heard Anneliese singing, some meaningful words but - dedicated to who?

She sounded sad and hopeless… no happiness or life in her voice.

Not anything like she last remembered her in the birthday party…

Erika watched how a masked man started to descend from the ceiling using a rope.

He landed on a corner of the railing of Anneliese's balcony, and quietly stood there - watching her.

Erika didn't know what to do; maybe she had to warn her.

Maybe he was going to kill her!

_Or_… maybe not, he could had done it long ago since he arrived and he was just staring at her.

She kept hiding and watching every move the persons on the balcony did.

The queen continued her song :

_That I love you_

_I have loved you all along_

_And I miss you_

_Been far away for far too long_

_I keep dreaming you'll be with me _

_And you'll never go_

_Stop breathing if _

_I don't see you anymore…_

Tears ran down her eyes and passing through her cheeks, it was worthless. **Nothing **could make this hurt go away.

She cleaned the tears off her face with her hands. Her thoughts were interrupted when she felt a presence near her.

She recoiled a little when she saw him; she could have sworn she was alone. But a masked man with dirty and ragged clothes was standing in her balcony, holding a rope that was connected to the ceiling.

She walked closer to him; somehow she wasn't afraid of this masked stranger.

He bent to look more directly at her and started to sing:

_Do you ever think about runnin' away?_

_'Cause I was thinkin' about leavin' today?_

She gazed at him, he sounded way too familiar.

_We'll follow forever where our hearts wanna go_

_Maybe we'll live somewhere where nobody knows our names._

_Then things might change for the good._

She raised an eyebrow at him.

_I wanna be somewhere so far away._

_To lie under the night at the end of another good day._

_I can't tell you how long we'll be gone,_

He watched her while she looked at him - she was as beautiful as he remembered.

_But as long as we're together then forever is never too long._

_Too long, oh no_

She smiled at this kind stranger; he was offering her to run away with him.

"How can I runaway with you? I don't know who you are" she told him as she aimed to touch his mask - maybe being lucky and try to remove it.

But he caught her hand just in time, and he looked straight into her eyes as he continued his song:

_Do you ever think about my comin' back?_

_Hoppin' on a train and we'll burn up the tracks._

_We'll jump off somewhere that we don't know how to say._

He kept piercing her eyes with his icy ones, making her feel… comfortable.

She joined his song:

_Maybe hitch a ride from someone who can tell us the way._

_To where these things might change for the good._

He smiled too, though his mask didn't let her notice. She grinned with happiness as she recognized those eyes.

And both sang in unison:

_I wanna be somewhere so far away._

_To lie under the night at the end of another good day._

_I can't tell you how long we'll be gone,_

_But as long as we're together then forever is never too_

_Oh, forever is never too long_

Erika was baffled; Anneliese was flirting with a stranger that came down from the ceiling!

Who was he? Some type of _spider _man?

'_How can she do this to Julian? Should I tell him?'_

She was so confused by her behavior!

How could she want to run away with someone when she was married to Julian and was pregnant with his child!

Anneliese got closer to him and she felt something in her heart.

Something forgotten and put aside for so long that sprung to life when she realized her mind wasn't playing her games - _those _eyes!

Those _unforgettable_, piercing blue eyes!

It was him! He came back!

She continued singing:

_Not with you right here by me_

He joined her; she left him to sing along:

_Baby maybe we'll just see, yeah_

_Where this road will lead for us._

He still was holding her hand, and they twined their fingers together.

Butterflies on his stomach, her heart on her throat.

And both sang in unison to each other:

_I wanna be somewhere so far away._

_To lie under the night at the end of another good day._

_I can't tell you how long we'll be gone,_

_But as long as we're together then forever is never too-_

_I wanna be somewhere so far away._

_To lie under the night at the end of another good day._

_I can't tell you how long we'll be gone,_

Their heads leaned closer, inches apart.

Even with his mask on she could feel his breath on her lips.

_But as long as we're together then forever is never too-_

_Forever is never too long._

A maid carrying a tray screamed when she saw the scene between them.

She dropped the tray and yelled: "An **intruder**! An intruder has the queen!"

The '_stranger' _released Anneliese's hand, and jumped off the balcony.

The blonde's jaw almost touched the floor when he did that, but he landed safely on the ground and started running away.

Anneliese gave a dreamy sigh as she watched him running.

"Your majesty, are you alright?" the green eyed maid asked. The queen turned her attention towards her, and tried to hide her happiness.

"Yes, yes I-I am _alright_...Thanks to you" she took the maid's hands "If you hadn't screamed that burglar would had taken me, thank you" she smiled, the maid bowed feeling a little confused.

How was she going to get kidnapped? She was singing with him leaning her face along with his - even with a mask on.

"I-It was nothing your highness, I'll inform the guards to keep an eye on burglars"

"Thanks again"

**Author's note:**

_I do not own any of the songs._

_The first song that appears is a part of 'Far Away' by Nickelback - Anneliese is supposed to be singing it so try to imagine it with feminine vocals lol. The second one is 'Runaway' by Three Doors Down :D_

_So, wandering who is the mysterious man that visited Anneliese?_

_Stay tuned for the next chapter and thanks to everyone that supports my writing! _

_**Really** means a lot to know people enjoy what I write 3!_

_Many thanks to my beta reader _Avatarfan445!__

_Please review if you read, I check the story traffic - so I know you **do **read it._

_Thanks for reading!_


	4. Sacrifices

**S.U.R.V.I.V.E.** by _shadowgirl416_

_Beta Reader: Avatarfan445 :D!_

Chapter 4: Sacrifices

Erika was shocked by what she had just seen.

Anneliese, her identical best friend, the woman who was married to Julian and was expecting a child - singing and letting a stranger **woo** her!

Then _he_ jumped off the ceiling and almost fell on top of her - in the bushes.

Where was Julian then? Isn't he supposed to be with her in the castle?

Something was very wrong!

Erika started looking around to find a way out, maybe to talk to Anneliese or Julian.

Suddenly she was blinded by darkness...

* * *

><p>She felt a bag on her head, it was very stinky.<p>

Her hands tied behind her back and someone pushing her to make her walk. She could tell she was inside of the palace, her steps made the marble floor sound in a particular way.

Then someone yanked her arm back to make her stop.

"Your highness," he said "We have found the _brunette_" a man with husky voice informed, maybe to Julian since he was king.

_'Brunette? That's why they captured me? Because I am a brunette?…Idiots' _Erika thought.

"Perfect!" his voice was… weird, but familiar - not Julian's though. His voice - it was _squeaky_ in some way… he was… he was…

"Preminger?" Anneliese's voice was heard behind Erika.

_'**Preminger**? What was he doing here, wasn't he in jail? Locked in the dungeon?'_

"What is it, darling?" he responded, Anneliese's steps were getting closer to Erika - in front of her to be exact.

_'He called her **darling**? Eww' _

The queen didn't liked when intruders were treated this way, they were still people. So she frowned at the man holding Erika. "God! Remove that dirty bag off her head" she ordered the guards, they instantly obeyed her.

Erika's face was revealed, Anneliese looked at her and gasped, Preminger smirked.

Her mouth slightly open as she eyed the prisoner, her eyes examining every single detail in her face. Amazed at how identical their features were - how could somebody look so identical to her?

"Who are you?" asked Anneliese, Erika raised an eyebrow.

"It's me - _Erika_" Anneliese kept the same clueless expression on her face. "Don't act like you don't recognize me, Anneliese" the queen gasped, Preminger jumped up from the throne he was sitting on.

"**Unmannered pauper**!" he pointed at her with his index finger "Show respect towards my **_wife_**!" Erika's eyes bulged out.

"**What**? Anneliese? Your _wife_?" she looked at Preminger, he was wearing a crown - so did Anneliese.

He was also sitting in the rightful place of the kingdom's king…

_**'What?'**_

"Of _course_ she's _my_ wife" he repeated, Anneliese face wasn't showing any approve with his statements - it was almost a sad one. She was trying to ignore the pride her husband was showing and concentrating in figuring out why this stranger looked exactly like her "She's the queen-" he continued as he got closer to Erika, staring at her for some seconds."The resemblance is amazing" he commented.

"We could be sisters" a baffled Anneliese added, he shook his head.

"No, no, no. Your late parents only had _you_, darling" Preminger commented, she nodded as if he was commanding her to agree with him.

"Who are you?" the queen asked, her face reflected curiosity. Erika felt almost afraid to reply, she knew the answers she would get back would only blow her hopes of figuring this mayhem out.

"I'm Erika…" she repeated, but Anneliese's expression stood the same "You don't remember me, right?" her voice filled with disbelief. Feeling hopeless she whispered: "_My best friend in the world doesn't recognize me_" as she lowered her head in defeat.

"Oh, I'm sorry-" Anneliese apologized, Preminger cut her off.

"You don't have to offer any apologies to this - pauper! Guards, take her to the dungeon!" he ordered.

Anneliese gasped as she saw several guards walking towards her. "**No**!" everyone stopped walking."I want to talk to her"

Preminger looked at his wife "_She is the woman that King Frederick warned us about_-" he hissed at her.

"_I don't care—she looks exactly like me and I want to talk with her._" she almost ordered him.

He frowned, waving his hand in the air in an 'I-don't-care' sign before walking out of the room.

"Go, I want to be alone with her." she ordered the guards to leave her alone with Erika.

Erika felt like if Anneliese had already remembered—a weight lifted off her.

"Anneliese-" Erika started; the queen slightly frowned at her.

"Who are you to call me by my name?" she asked, Erika looked at her confusedly.

"I'm Erika!"

"I know; to be sincere that's the only thing I know about you. Your name is Erika. Who are you? Why are you here? And why do you look like me?"

The brunette sighed.

"_This is going to be a long day_…" she rolled her eyes, deciding to tell the whole story to see if Anneliese remembered "Look I worked at Madame Carp's, you heard me sing, we sang together; then you left. Then the other day Julian came looking for me-"

"Julian?" Anneliese interrupted her, as if Erika had said a magic word.

"Yes, Julian. Your **husband**." Erika said with a tone that screamed "_obvious_."

Anneliese's face went pale. "Julian… my husband?" She only imagined it; and she felt like she was in heaven…too good to be true… "You are lying."

Erika shook her head "No I'm not!" she assured. "Look you have to help me-" Erika begged.

Anneliese chuckled, "How could I possibly help you?"

"Come with me, help me find Dominick"

"Dominick? As in _King_ Dominick?" Anneliese asked trying not to laugh at the stranger who instantly nodded. "You are insane," she chuckled again.

"I am **not** -" the blonde woman cut her off.

This crazy woman was looking for Dominick, the Dominick that had tried to marry her saying he was already a king - he only wanted to marry her to be king but she could reproach about it, she wanted to marry him to help her kingdom with his wealth.

"Look, _Erika_; King Dominick has been missing for over a year now, and why call him '_king_' when he was only a prince. If he's not dead already, he **really** doesn't want to be found" Erika blinked several times, trying to process the new information her friend had given her.

"What do you mean… he's missing?" Erika's face reflected no more than confusion.

"Yes," Anneliese nodded. "No one has ever seen him since his cousin became the new king-"

Erika decided not to listen to this, he was Dominick. She knew that he was probably hiding somewhere waiting for the right moment to take revenge. Frederick had taken over their kingdom and she knew how her husband was-

"_Please_, just come with me. I can explain everything to you but—not **here**" Erika insisted, that Preminger could easily hear them.

Anneliese rolled her eyes as she untied the woman's hands.

Erika knew she wasn't going to go with her—Anneliese thought she was crazy! So she started planning something to force her to go with her—maybe force her to do it.

But how?

"You know…I made the dress you are wearing, _your highness_." Erika started, pointing at the elegant pink dress the queen had on.

"What?" she asked, looking at the stranger.

Erika smirked "**I** used to work at Madame Carp's Dress Emporium" Anneliese's expression softened as she smiled.

"So, you made this?" the queen pointed at the gown she had on "It's my favorite—the design looks so complicated"

Erika chuckled, that was almost the same thing she said when they met.

"Oh, but it isn't really—you know what else I learned?"

"What?" Anneliese asked.

"I learned to fight burglars." the queen gasped, she was really falling into the conversation.

"_Really_? Oh, that must be **awful**-"

Erika wasn't sure if she could do this.

She was telling the truth though, she was an expert at safely knocking people out—burglars did try to steal in Madame Carp's store.

"No, no. I didn't _hurt_ them; I only left the person unconscious for a few minutes. " Erika started looking for something around the room, and spotted a little figurine on a table. And walking towards it she took it as Anneliese foolishly followed her.

"I just took something like this-" she pointed at the wooden human shaped figurine, Anneliese looking at her in wonder "Then I did this-" she took a deep but fast breath, raised the figurine and hit the queen in the head.

And, certainly, it worked perfectly.

Anneliese was blinded by the darkness…

* * *

><p>Finally, he arrived, the place he had called '<em>home<em>' for a year.

To the small room that had become his 'house' and now he knew who the person knocking his door probably was, the man that had become his 'brother'.

That same 'brother' acted as if he owned his existence, like if he was his boss too. Therefore, every time he did something that was 'bad' in his terms, he would have to bear his speeches about why he couldn't do that.

Before he could answer it, the man outside kicked the door open.

He glared at him, but the man inside the room ignored him.

"I shouldn't even knock!" shouted the brunette man standing on the doorframe, panting from the anger he was feeling, "You're acting like a teenager!"

The other man was now used to the types of tantrums his companion suffered. So he stood there doing what he was doing before he stormed in, sitting on his bedside reading one of his books - pretending nothing was happening.

"Don't ignore me, it's very rude and it just proves how immature you are" Even when the man reading didn't looked at the other, he could literary feel his blue stare.

Still, he decided to say nothing.

Then, he entered the room and spotted a mask on top of a wooden table. The mask that the other man only used when he needed to hide. And he knew better than anyone that the other man only hid when he wandered outside their hideaway.

And knowing at once in what kind of danger his friend had been, the frown on his face hardened "You went to see her, didn't you?"

'_Chief' _like some called him, '_Boss' _others did - but the man sitting on his bedside had gained so much trust from him that he had the honor to call him by his real name. And vice versa, he knew the 'man of the mask' better than anyone.

The reason why he had to wear that mask wasn't just that he couldn't be recognized, he had other motives. Another reason that worried the brown-haired person, the blond man that caused him to wear the mask lived with Anneliese - her husband to be more specific. And he knew his friend loved Anneliese since… well, before he even knew him, and it worried him that the girl's husband went further this time and took the life his best friend.

He sighed, the anger had decreased, and walked towards his best friend to stand in front of him.

"Love can blind a man, but while I'm still around I won't allow you to get killed over a woman"

The man sitting on the bedside abruptly closed the book he was using and glared upon his friend.

He clenched his teeth before starting to say, "She's not just any woman, Anneliese is my life" he took deep breath before continuing, "If she's not with me, I won't be able to keep living. I don't care if I die in the process of trying to get her back, and it's not your problem" he stood up from the bed and walked away from the brown haired man, who immediately tried to complain.

"It **is **my problem-" the blond-haired man cut him off.

"No, it's not! You can't even understand how I feel right now; the love of my life is married to another man!" And seeing that what he just said left his friend speechless, he decided to emphasize his real point. "You have never been in love"

The brown haired man dryly chuckled "Thank God I haven't, looking at you is a good glimpse at what could happen to me if I do"

"I would really appreciate if you get out of here-"

"Just listen to me-"

"I've heard enough, get out!" the man shouted, his friend now sensed the anger coming from him and decided that it would be pointless to keep talking to a man that wasn't searching or willing to take any advice.

He left, closing the door behind him - they did not share any other words.

Julian sighed, that man had been his best friend for almost a year now. He knew he only wanted the best for him, but Julian wasn't a kid; he knew how to take care of himself, even when he failed at it sometimes.

And thinking about the situation in a point of view where he didn't felt anything for a certain woman, Dominick was absolutely right. Julian was risking his life for a woman, a _married _woman. A girl that maybe had forgotten about him already; she was married and rich, why would she need him?

But Julian knew that was not correct, Anneliese felt something for him as well as he did. And he was willing to do anything for her, even when that meant he could lose his life.

His train of thought led his mind to what happened almost a year ago, maybe it was his conscience trying to refresh his mind and make him realize the danger he was in…

_*Flashback*_

He was finally standing there, again.

The same spot from where she always admired the view of the land, from where she sang sometimes and the same spot where she used to relieve her own sorrows. So many times he founded her standing in the balcony alone; speechless, just thinking. And sometimes he would notice the tears falling down from her eyes.

Julian was standing in the same balcony where he had nearly tell her that he loved her. That time when she was watching those little girls in the garden, after the ambassador had visited them, and he could almost say that Anneliese envied the freedom of those girls. He was utterly sad, she was getting married and there was nothing he could do.

Now, he was there again. After multiple attempts to accomplish his goal, he knew this had to be one day where he would finally be able to win.

So many times he had been standing in her balcony, hiding. Hiding but still desperately looking for the chance to get to see her and maybe to talk to her. But luck hadn't been in his side, every time he had dared to fool the guards just to have a small possibility of finding her - she wasn't there.

Anneliese was never in her room, which he found completely odd. When he still worked at the castle, she spent almost all of her time in her room. And when he needed to help her, to see her, she was never in there.

But, this time he knew she had to be there. She **had **to.

Sadly and unexpectedly, Queen Genevieve had died.

Nobody knew why, yet all of them said that her age was the possible culprit. But Julian knew that the former Queen was not that old, her age was not a reason to die and she was not sick either.

And he had to tell her some important things he had been informed off, some details about her kidnapping.

Everything he suspected when she was kidnapped was true; he knew the identity of Anneliese's kidnappers and of the mastermind behind the plan. He also knew that the fact that Preminger 'rescued' her hasn't been causality, either product of hard work to find her.

Scrunching down to hide behind the railings from the guards outside, he moved towards the door.

His heart beating faster, Oh! How he wanted to see his beloved Anneliese!

And carefully looking inside the room through the door, he noticed someone there.

A person was in Anneliese's room; a woman, she walked towards her dressing table and opened a drawer to take out a handkerchief. Not sure if it really was her, Julian decided to wait. She was wearing a pink dress, had long blond hair; but what if she wasn't alone.

What if he entered and there was someone escorting her? He could to wait.

After wiping under her eyes, the woman started to walk out of the room.

His excitement and desperation betrayed him, and without thinking it twice, he opened the door to enter the room. He still wasn't sure if that girl was Anneliese, the glass of the door made everything blurry, but he was not missing his chance.

Julian entered the room; everything was still the same. Her bed, her books… everything just as he remembered. But he knew that everything was untouched because she wasn't there constantly; she was married now.

Unfortunately, luck let him down again. The girl walked out before he could even speak to make himself noticeable. He grumbled to himself in distress as she closed the door behind her.

Asking to himself - Why? Why life was treating him this way?

But his self-asking moment was short-lived; he recoiled a bit when someone coughed behind him. The way it sounded told Julian that he had made it on purpose, like to get his attention.

And slowly turning back to face the person, he met with the most deadly glare he had ever seen.

A middle-aged man, wearing a white powdered wig, a black tuxedo symbolizing the grief of the queen's death and a pair of angry amber eyes staring back at him.

Julian didn't know how to start to talk; he could have been arrested for just sneaking into the castle. He had to be careful with his words, but the King didn't seemed eager to listen.

Preminger's fists clenched at both sides of his body "You again" he hissed.

The venom in his voice was as clear as water, Julian was already nervous.

"Your - majesty" Julian's voice slightly trembling.

Preminger started to walk around Julian, he wasn't happy at all to see him "I thought I had made myself clear when I told you that I didn't wanted to see you around here anymore" The King had been very, very clear indeed.

This wasn't the first time Julian sneaked into the palace, and the last time he had entered Preminger caught him and told him not to come again. He wasn't kidding, Preminger knew the tutor was dangerous - he could ruin his plans after everything he had done to succeed!

Julian's mind was racing, trying to find rational answers to persuade Preminger into thinking what he wanted -and what would benefit him. "You were very clear indeed, your majesty. It's just that… I-I…I wanted to give Anneliese my condolences for her mother's death." Yeah, that was a nice excuse. Maybe he could pull this off.

The older man frowned at the younger; he was trying to trick him. "Then why you didn't use the front door?" Preminger smirked as he raised an eyebrow, Julian didn't know how to respond to that. "And, if what you say _is _the truth; why wouldn't you want to give **me**, the _king_, your condolences too. The queen was _my _mother-in-law" Preminger wasn't taking any chance, if Julian had really come there to give Anneliese's his condolences why did he sneaked into her room instead of using the front door like everybody else? Who doesn't have anything to hide, doesn't has to be scared.

But Julian was trying to make the King believe his words. "I knew you wouldn't allow me to enter, your majesty. You said it yourself; you don't want to see me around here"

Preminger smirked, '_touché' _he mentally said. The boy was in it to win it.

The King stopped walking around the man and crossed his arms in front of his chest. "Stop fooling around, Julian. I know why are you here, you can't hide that from me" he smirked again; Julian acted like if he didn't had a clue about what this man was talking about. Preminger waited the man to respond, but because Julian didn't said anything he decided to annoy him to make him a bit angry. "You're here to see **my **wife…" he watched how Julian instantly threw an angry glare at him "-the woman that sleeps by my side every night. You're here because you want her" Julian's frown hardened; he didn't care if he was thrown in jail, when it came to Anneliese nothing mattered. But still, the former tutor decided not to speak. "And I know that has been your goal all those countless other times you have sneaked in"

Julian didn't know how to respond to that. _Anything _he said could spoil everything!

Preminger was completely right; he was there to see Anneliese. But, he needed to see her now more than ever. He knew things that would make her want to go with him, things that made Julian very anxious. He knew she wasn't safe with a man that was eager to do **anything **to get what he wanted. And knowing that the woman he loved was in _that _man's hands made him agonize of pain inside.

So, he only shook his head at the King. For now, he didn't need to raise any suspicions. Who knew? Maybe he would buy it and would allow him to see Anneliese.

"Your majesty-" it was almost impossible to call him like that now that he knew how he had obtained that position "-your misunderstanding this situation." Preminger raised an eyebrow at him. "I've only come to speak with Queen Anneliese. Just to speak with her, and I assure you that our relationship has **always **been purely professional - nothing more than common friends" he was obviously lying, but Preminger seemed to be believing it. "I was her tutor, she was my student. And I thought that maybe stopping by to see how she has been these last months would be a nice gesture of me."

Preminger looked entirely convinced that he was telling the truth. Why would he lie?… Well, maybe to get to see her anyway… Nah. He reminded himself that those rumors about those two being in love where just comments of the castle's servants. It was Anneliese and Julian's word against all the employees' one.

"I see…" was all he thought about to reply to the younger man. His mind was still studying the situation.

If Julian wasn't trying to see Anneliese because he was in love with her… then why would he? The only excuse he was giving was that he wanted to be a good friend. Yet, Preminger knew that good friends didn't sneak into other person's houses to 'speak' with them. Or, knowing that their friend is married and has already been warned not to come, still try to do the opposite.

Something was not right…

He had noticed the way the treated each other when Anneliese was still the princess. The tenderness in their eyes when they were together, the sweet and caring way the treated each other… if that was how they expressed their _friendship_, then he didn't even wanted to imagine how they would act around each other expressing _love_.

An idea formed in his mind, if Julian was lying then a little pressure would make him spill out the truth.

"Mr. Mills," Preminger started again, making Julian look at him. "Why don't we sit down while we wait for Anneliese to come, I'll send someone for her"

Julian's blue eyes almost bulged out; he had fallen for it! His improvised plan was working!

He instantly nodded "Of course, your majesty. No problem"

Preminger smirked, as he walked out of the room. Not intending to bring the girl at all. He only stepped out of the room, waited a couple of seconds outside and entered again. Making the blond man believe he was actually going to call Anneliese.

As Preminger entered the room again, he locked the door.

"Well," he gestured Julian to sit down in one of the chairs close by "Sit down, Julian"

He obeyed; he was thinking about how he was going to tell her all those things.

The white haired man sat down near him, examining his nails as he started to hum a song.

Julian thought that he was maybe getting bored, he didn't cared either - but thinking that he had arrived in a good moment were the King was in a nice humor, he needed to build a conversation with him. Maybe gain a little of his trust, make Preminger believe that he was at his side. What he didn't know was that Preminger was really waiting for was for him to ask something. The older man was expecting him to act this way; he was waiting for him to bring out the subject to go to the point of this whole situation he had created.

The young man hated how much Anneliese was delaying. But it was understandable, her mother had died. He wasn't happy about it, but he wasn't very sad either. Queen Genevieve had been a great ruler and an amazing person with him; he always saw her as an example of integrity. Until she forced her young daughter to marry a stranger. Anneliese didn't even wanted to get married; still Genevieve wanted her to marry King Dominick. Unfortunately, she 'ran away'. And King Dominick couldn't wait for her so he canceled the wedding and left. Fortuitously, Preminger brought the princess back home that same day. Anneliese claimed that she had been kidnapped and that Preminger had rescued her; the Queen bought it all and rewarded Preminger with the hand of the princess after he added he had found a gold mine.

It was such a coincidence… Anneliese gets kidnapped, Preminger rescues her and asks for her hand saying that he can help the bankrupt kingdom with his new found fortune - a gold mine he 'found' during his journey.

The Queen had been completely selfish, making her daughter marry a man that could be her father. Allowing him to - break her innocence without her own consent. When Genevieve could have marry him instead…

But, getting back to the matter at hand, she had died.

"Premin-" he almost started the conversation wrongly, he cleared his throat and started again "Your highness, I was wondering… what happened to Queen Genevieve?" asked Julian, Preminger wanted to smirk so badly but that was the question he had been waiting for - this was becoming easier than he had expected.

The King sighed, his face reflecting sorrow. "It was a pure tragedy," he started, putting much effort in making his voice sound sad. "They say…" his amber eyes met his blue ones "They say she fell down the stairs of the main staircase"

Julian almost gasped, fell down? The Queen wasn't such a clumsy woman, and her health wasn't such a remarkable issue for her.

"But, was she sick or something?"

Preminger nodded "Just a common cold, the doctor said. Maybe she was too medicated"

'The Queen was sick… Anneliese always took care of her mother when she got sick.' Julian thought.

"What about Anneliese? Why wasn't she with her?"

"She was visiting her cousin Frances at the moment." Julian nodded, understanding a bit the situation. "Although," Preminger started again, "Some say she might have been pushed"

Julian rapidly accepted that hypothesis; he knew she couldn't have just fallen. "Yeah… maybe someone pushed her. But, did someone found any clues?"

Preminger shook his head and then shrugged "It's just a possible explanation some people proposed… none of them know what really happened" Again, Julian nodded. Preminger sighed again "Too bad I was the only one there to presence it all" A smirk slowly appeared on the man's face as he looked at the other, Julian gasped as his eyes bulged out.

Preminger killed Queen Genevieve.

Julian stood from the chair he was, already panting.

This man was even more dangerous than he thought; he **had **to take Anneliese out of there as fast as he could.

"You-You killed her" Preminger remained calmed, that twisted and evil look upon his face. "How could you?"

The King shrugged again, rolling his eyes this time "She was getting too unbearable, too intrusive for my taste. And of course if she hadn't died I wouldn't be king yet." he chuckled.

Julian couldn't even figure out what to say, Preminger had just confessed to him that he had murdered Anneliese's mother - their now former Queen!

Taking some steps back from where the older man was sitting, Julian gulped.

He watched how he wasn't acting worried or repented for his actions; Preminger was just sitting there examining his nails as the former tutor went out of breath to keep thinking on what he should do.

So many questions running through his mind at the same time-

'_What should I do? Should I tell someone? Should I get Anneliese out of here? Should I argue with him?' _But most importantly: _'Why he told __**me**__?'_

"Why are you telling _me _all this?" the blue eyed man asked the other, who glared at him as he stood up from his chair. Preminger started walking towards him; a corner of his mouth went up to form a twisted and maniacal-like gesture. Now, face to face with Julian, he was prepared to give him the answer to that question.

Julian was taller than Preminger, but in this type of situations he always felt so tiny and afraid of the other person. Knowing that they had done horrible things regardless their height.

"You know Julian-" Preminger started, crossing his arms on top of his chest "-I always thought you were an honest man that followed the rules. I didn't complain when they hired you, because of that same reason. But, I never thought you would come to this."

"What do you mean?"

"Break into my property-" he instantly hissed in response. "But that doesn't matter so much, you used to work here, the real problem is the reason you have deep inside you to enter here," He looked at Julian again, to make sure he was listening to him. "-see **my **wife"

Julian tried not to bite his lip, all he was saying was true.

And the older man continued, "Not just to see her, but to turn her against me-" Julian cut him off, trying to deny Preminger's accusation.

"I would never do that-" Preminger cut him off this time.

"Then how are you planning to get her to leave with you?" The young man was left without words again, how did he knew? Was he being too obvious? "She knows that if she leaves, this kingdom will be in _my _hands."

Julian was between a wall and a sword; he wasn't getting out of there lying, his actions were obvious and a bit revealing.

"Preminger, I-"

"Please Julian, stop" he started chuckling, it almost seemed as if he was making fun of Julian "You don't have to give me _any _explications. I know there **is **something between Anneliese and you and sincerely I don't really care about it-"

Julian didn't thought about it twice before asking it, "Then why won't you let us be together?" he angrily spat at the King.

'_It was about time he admit it' _Preminger thought to himself. But rapidly answered, "Because your mutual worship gets in the way of my plans!" he shouted. "If she leaves with you, it will mean that she wants to divorce me and **I'll **be expelled from royalty. Which means that I won't be king anymore!"

Julian stood quiet, it was true, but she deserved to make her own decisions on base of the truth.

So he ventured to respond, "What if Anneliese leaves you because she knows other things… things that do not involve me?"

Preminger glared at him again, his teeth already clenched. "What are you saying?"

"_You _were the one that kidnapped her; you also hid her until King Dominick canceled the wedding. Then, you brought her back to the castle saying that you rescued her."

Preminger was left astonished, shocked and speechless. Julian had somehow figure out how he had become king, his master plan had been discovered. He frowned at the blue-eyed man "How do you know that?"

"That doesn't matter right now- you hurt her, hid her, forced her to marry you and killed her mother … I bet that if she hears half of the things we have talked about today she will leave on her own."

Preminger shook his head, trying to convince himself that that wouldn't happen. He was determined to keep her there, Anneliese could never leave. It was too risky; just to have Julian wandering around there could be lethal for him.

His mind was racing, yet an idea formed in between all the mess in it.

"I highly doubt that," Preminger replied, a bit more restored. "How will she ever know about those things?" he asked, that evil grin that meant no good appeared on his face. Asking a question that needed another part to be truly understandable.

Julian took a fast and deep breath, grabbing some courage out of nowhere to answer Preminger's question. "I'll tell her"

Despite Julian's valiant response, Preminger's expression reflected no worry. He had already figured out a way to keep the tutor away from them. He only kept grinning, and slowly started to move one of his hands towards one of his jacket's pockets. Softly grasping in his hand the object that would resolve all his problems. "I don't think so," Julian raised an eyebrow in confusion. Preminger knew he had to be fast and accurate if he wanted to succeed at another unflattering act. "You know why I told you that I murdered Genevieve?…" He finally asked.

Julian frowned "Because you're a coward, a pompous bald moron."

Preminger evilly chuckled, not listening to what the young man had said as he continued to answer his own question. His grinned "Because I want **you **to know how dangerous is the man you are messing with, Julian."

He decided to ignore what Preminger had just said, and kept trying to make a threat of his own.

"I'll tell everyone, and they will all know the false, ninny and mendacious man you really are." Julian kept remarking, just trying to make sure Preminger knew what he meant. But it wasn't working so well, Preminger didn't looked scared anymore. He was only smirking in an evil way at him, one of his hands hiding inside his jacket.

In order to see if he changed his attitude and responded to the severity of the situation Julian was aiming to put him in, the tutor decided to reveal another one of his intentions to put more pressure on Preminger.

"I'll also take Anneliese with me. After she knows everything you have done, she will come with me and we both are going to sink you to the deepest abyss the dungeon has available."

Preminger chuckled at his threat "Silly tutor, I guess your jobless time has made you forgot how to use your head properly." Julian threw him another puzzled look and again started to walk towards him to be closer "You aren't going to tell neither Anneliese nor anyone anything," Julian frowned, what was he talking about? Preminger took a gasp of air; he was really going to do it. Get rid of the tutor once and for all, but maybe scare him a little bit first. Julian started to worry, his words were started to have a scary and bad meaning. "You know why? Because you _won't _be around to do it!" And in a flash, unexpectedly and rapid - Preminger raised his once hidden hand. In it, a long, sharp object that was being driven towards Julian's face.

The pain hit him immediately, as well as the warm feeling of liquid running down his right cheek. Yet, when Preminger struck him, the only thing he was able to see was the gleam of the blade that belonged to the object he was holding in his hand. It was all so sudden, he was breathless.

*End of flashback*

He still felt the pain as he remembered the event. Still felt like a coward for running away after that, instead of facing everything like a man. But he knew he couldn't risk himself, if he had stayed in that room Preminger would have killed him. Julian was defenseless against an armed man; he didn't go there to fight. If he didn't had anything to fight for in his life, then he would had allowed Preminger to finish him at once. But Anneliese was still around, and she needed his help more than ever.

Julian felt calmed though; if luck, faith or destiny - whatever caused that to happen to him - were not willing to help him get his revenge, he knew Dominick had already plans to help him get it.

**_Author's Note:_**

_Hi! Long time since I updated this XD! _

_Anyways, is up! _

_It's kind of ironic that tomorrow is Valentine's Day and this chapter doesn't contain strong romance :( Still, I PROMISE that the following ones WILL! :D_

_Thanks to everybody who has reviewed and supported and has helped me with this fic, **REALLY** means a **lot**! _

_And I promise, again, that there will be LOTS of romance in the next chapters ;)!_

_Thanks for reading and I hope you enjoyed, Love you guys! :D_

_PS. If there are spelling mistakes, do **not** blame my beta-reader. I'm trying to get better with my writing so we changed our 'correcting method' to make it more easy and independent ;)._


	5. Wasted Lives

**S.U.R.V.I.V.E**. by_shadowgirl416_

_Beta Reader: Avatarfan445 :D!_

Chapter 5: Wasted Lives

_It was probably one of the coldest nights she had ever lived; probably because she was outside when she was supposed to be sleeping like everybody else or maybe because she wasn't properly covered. But deep inside her heart she knew those weren't the reasons._

_She was **alone** – literary._

_Her mother, the woman who was supposed to **protect** her, had forced her to marry a stranger. The trust Anneliese had in Genevieve disappeared; she thought her mother would understand she loved another man, but all she did was ignore her and say nothing when Preminger decided to fire she cared at least a bit for her feelings, she wouldn't have permitted him to throw out Julian. She was alone in this; her mother preferred to listen to her adviser more than to her own daughter. And the person for whom she cared the most for was gone too._

_She sighed, sitting on the nearest bench available on the garden. Admiring how big and full the moon was that night, it described her sorrow perfectly. Although the darkness around her made her recall the repulsive day she had. It was their first month together as a married couple; everyone in the castle congratulated them. Her mother wasn't so happy though, she knew that marriage was a fake and that Anneliese wasn't ecstatic about it either._

_A grim and fake day, that was all._

_But even with all of those problems, Anneliese couldn't get **him** out of her mind. Even sitting on the deserted garden reminded her of him; it was the place where they first talked – where they met each other. It was impossible to forget about him, even sounds and colors reminded her of his absence._

_But now, she was a married woman. Those were things she couldn't just say out loud to her mother – even telling them to Serafina was risky. If anyone heard any of those things, everyone would know the truth and her kingdom would be ruined._

_If she had just one more moment with him… so she could tell him how she felt. He left and she was never brave enough to tell him how much she cared, how much she loved him. Even when she had an idea of how he felt, she was scared of finding that he was as frightened as her to face his feelings – but with that she'd feel good enough to tell him. If only she could see him again, just one more time; maybe then she would feel a bit better, **maybe**._

_Suddenly she felt something rubbing against her dress, purring at the same time. She giggled, cuing the white cat to sit beside her. She loved Serafina; the cat somehow knew when to comfort her. And that night, she needed her more than ever. The feline jumped and landed beside Anneliese on the bench; instantly starting to rub her head against her owner's arm._

_The princess smiled, taking Serafina and placing her on her lap. The cat's big green eyes met with Anneliese's sad ones, and with a simple 'meow' she communicated her mistress that she understood how she felt. The blonde woman couldn't hold it any longer, her eyes filled with tears as she gasped for air._

_A clear sad expression took over the cat's face; she hated to see her princess crying. But she knew she needed it, she needed to give some vent to her sorrow and her pain. And Anneliese had her chance now—alone in the garden while everyone slept._

_So as she wept harder, Serafina placed one of her paws on top of one of Anneliese's hands. But an unexpected sound interrupted the girls, Anneliese decided to ignore it but Serafina's instincts rapidly reacted. Her head up, her green eyes as huge as they could get; registering everything around them; her pointed ears lifted, aiming to identify the source of the noise._

_It wasn't long after the weird noises that Serafina meowed and jumped off Anneliese's lap, making the woman realize there was something weird going on. So as the white fur ball ran, her owner stood up from the bench and wiped the tears from her face – taking a deep breath to calm down. Then, looking around to find her pet, her body froze when her eyes spotted a distant tall shadow._

_Her eyes narrowed as they tried focusing to identify this figure._

'_Maybe it's just a guard, I'm not supposed to be outside.' she thought, but her hands starting to sweat when she recognize that this person standing there was not wearing any kind of uniform – it was not a guard._

_Then she felt the tension grow heavier when she saw Serafina walking closer to the mysterious shadow and not planning to go get her she decided to call the cat from where she was._

"_Serafina!" she hissed, "Serafina, get back here!"_

_Yet, the cat only sat and did not make any gesture to obey her. Instead, she meowed again and started moving her tail playfully. The princess sighed, worrying that the stranger would do something to her precious pet. But Serafina seemed not to be thinking the same thing as she started to rub herself against the stranger's leg – Anneliese softly gasped, Serafina knew this stranger!_

_Not knowing why, the woman decided to start walking towards this person – curious to discover who it was. While he kneeled to pet the cat's head as she purred._

_The princess was uncertain of the decision she had made, what if this person that appeared in her garden really was dangerous? She hadn't even seen its face, with only the pale light that shone from the moon to see her surroundings it was almost impossible to determine the identity._

_The man noticed the princess was now standing in front of him and he stopped petting the cat; clearing his throat as he regained his posture._

_He was prepared to face her, knowing that it was her sitting alone in the garden, but she gasped when she saw his face. Anneliese's eyes bulged out, suddenly it got harder to breathe, she was not prepared to see him – but she wasn't upset to be there with him at all._

"_Julian…" she whispered, not believing it was really him._

_He smiled, "Hi."_

_She smiled back, walking closer to him but not being able to find words to answer him. Julian couldn't take his eyes off her; she was as beautiful as he remembered._

_But not wanting her to notice – he continued. "How are-" He was cut off by an impulsive embrace coming from her. Now it was him the one having trouble to breathe as he felt her fingers clawing to his back and her face pressed against his chest. He eagerly returned her hug, wrapping his arms securely around her._

"_I'm so glad you're okay." She whispered._

_He chuckled, hugging her tighter. "I'm so much better now."_

_She smiled, gently breaking their embrace - looking up to meet his eyes and make sure this was real. After a whole month without seeing him, there he was – and still she couldn't even find a word to start her confession. Even when she spent most of her time fantasying about this moment she never thought it would come._

_Julian softly placed one of his hands on her cheek, his smile fading a bit. "You were crying."_

_She softly chuckled; he knew her more than anyone in his world, she couldn't hide something like that from him. With only the moonlight to be able to see, he still noticed the redness in her eyes._

"_Why?" he insisted, she shook her head. Her shyness was taking over her, this was her chance –maybe her last- and she didn't felt prepared to tell him._

_So, lowering her head so he wouldn't see the fresh tears on her eyes, she remained silent._

_Julian sighed; he knew how hard it was to make Anneliese say what she was truly thinking – that bad habit of repressing all of her feelings inside her always made him worry._

_So he cupped her chin with his hand to make her face him, "You know you can trust me," he assured; she nodded but said nothing back._

_She wasn't replying to any of his words so feared the worst, and taking one of her hands with his free one he asked: "Has that buffoon done something to you?" the venom in his voice was as clear as water, "Because if he has I swear-" Anneliese finally spoke, cutting him off._

_"Other than being a complete idiot, he hasn't done anything else." She said, trying to smile._

_A puzzled expression splattered on Julian's face. "Then why are you sad?"_

_The princess squeezed his hand, "I... I thought I'd never see you again." Her eyes started to burn again._

_Julian's heart squirmed, he didn't know she had been so affected by his depart and the least thing he wanted was for her to be depressed. He moved his hand from her chin, and took the daring move of placing it on her waist to pull her closer to him._

_Then, noticing she didn't make any gesture of discomfort, he leaned to speak more directly. "I'd die if I was destined to never see you again." And even when his sweet words made butterflies riot inside her stomach, her sorrow rapidly destroyed them._

"_But you are…" Her voice barely above a whisper, tears running down her cheeks again._

_Julian shook his head, piercing her with his eyes and pulling her closer. "I don't care."_

_Anneliese weakly giggled, realizing that confessing everything to him could be easier than she thought. It was now or never. He was holding one of her hands and their bodies were almost against the other. But… what if she was taking this the wrong way?_

_As the tears ran down from her eyes and across her cheeks, Julian gently protested. "Don't cry." And releasing both her hand and her waist, Julian took her face in his hands – wiping the tears away with his thumbs. Anneliese cheeks grew warm as she realized how close their faces were; he was close enough for her to feel his breath._

_Her eyes widened as he lowered his head to close the small gap between them and she barely had time to wonder if this was the right moment for this to happen when his lips lightly touched hers. It was a soft kiss, precise and quick – almost as if it was accidental._

_Julian suddenly realized what he had done and he rapidly but gently pulled away, removing his hands from the princess' face. She could see the small regret hidden in his eyes, yet she could feel his need and desire._

_What he did was just a rash action and he knew the risks he had taken; but just the feel of her soft lips against his own was worth it._

"_**God**__, I-I'm… I'm so sorry." He stuttered, taking several steps back from the princess._

_Anneliese was as shocked as him, she wasn't expecting that either. But he had made things easier for her, so she smiled and walked closer to him._

"_Don't be." She replied, a baffled expression on his face. "Julian…" she called, making him feel more calmed."I was afraid I wouldn't have the opportunity to tell you… how I feel."_

_Serafina - who had been watching everything all along - smirked and quietly walked away, knowing that her job there was done._

_Anneliese looked up at him and tugged on his collar, pulling his head down to her. And without warning or hesitation, she locked her arms around his neck and pressed her lips against his, kissing him at first, Julian felt afraid to kiss her back; but when he felt how sweet, honest and willing her kiss was, he moved his hands to her waist and pulled her tightly against him as he kissed her back eagerly._

_And softly breaking the kiss and gasping for air he managed to say: "I love you, I always have and I always will."_

_She grinned, the moment she had been waiting for so long had finally come. "You don't know how long I've waited for you to say that. I love you too, Julian."He felt his soul glowing with happiness, he had finally told her; and closing the distance between them, their lips met once again. He then gripped her waist, lifting her up until she was standing on her tiptoes as they resumed their passionate kiss._

_And for a moment, the earth stood still for them._

_But that moment was short-lived, a loud gasp interrupted them._

"_**Anneliese**__!" a woman hissed in disbelief._

_As both blondes stopped the kiss, their blue eyes bulged out as they realized who had caught them. Julian couldn't feel more ashamed, but he wasn't willing to release his love until there was a decent reason to. Anneliese, with her hands against Julian's chest, glared at her._

"_Mother…" she flatly replied, it was almost unbelievable that her tone reflected her inner carelessness._

_Genevieve was baffled, her brain not wanting to accept what her eyes were seeing. "What are you doing?"_

The aching in her head woke her up.

She loved remembering that moment, but the end was always the same... She fluttered her eyes open—the light of where she was instantly blinded her.

She was lying on - _the ground_? She could feel the grass under her hands as she supported her self to sit up.

Her vision cleared and she saw the countless branches of the trees on top of her, looking around herself she found thousands of trees.

And already starting to pant she placed her hand on top of her head to check if she was injured, looking at her own palm and realizing she wasn't hurt - she let out a sigh of relief. But her relieved moment was short-lived; suddenly she started hearing the sound of dry leaves being cracked, like if something was stepping on it.

"Anneliese?" a female voice called from behind. The Queen looked back, a bit scared to find herself with a stranger in the middle of nowhere but the face she met was her own reflection - again.

Erika wore a worried expression as she walked closer to her blonde friend who instantly frowned at her. "Are you alright?"

Anneliese sat up instantly, standing up from the ground and shaking the dirt off her dress.

"Where have you taken me?" she asked as she took some steps back from the brunette woman.

Erika raised one of her eyebrows, as if the answer to her question was too obvious. "We're in the woods-" Anneliese cut her off.

"Why?" she spat.

"I needed to talk to you, **privately**" Erika explained, walking closer to her. But the Queen clearly did not want to talk with her.

So after looking at Erika for some seconds, she turned away from her and started running. Erika gasped in surprise, realizing that what she had done just made Anneliese so much more scared of her than she already was.

But Erika ran behind her and pulled her to the ground, landing in top of Anneliese encasing her wrists in her fists and pinning the rest of her body to the ground with her own.

"You need to calm down, Anneliese!" Erika told her, both women gasping for air. "I'm your friend, I'm not going to hurt you" she assured.

The blonde girl didn't seem to be eager to listen to anything she had to say. And still in shock from the brunette's previous actions, Anneliese just couldn't figure what this woman wanted. "How can I trust** you**?" She gasped for breath, panting some more. "You just _hit_me in the head and dragged me into the woods!" Anneliese sounded desperate.

A woman that appeared at her castle that looks exactly like her and out of nowhere she is pinned under her in the middle of the forest.

Erika was now trying to make her realize the severity of her situation, she was desperate too! And her problems were far worse than just being kidnapped by a copy of herself.

"I'm sorry, Anneliese." She apologized, even when it sounded like a scold. "But, first of all I needed to get you away from that awful man-" the blonde girl interrupted her before she could finish her statement.

"That awful man is my husband!"

Erika was surprised at how supportive Anneliese was being with Preminger; still she knew those were only appearances. "But you don't love him"

Anneliese raised one of her eyebrows, looking suspiciously at Erika. "How do you know that?"

"Oh, please Anneliese; he could be your father!"

And even when the light haired woman was lying on the floor, she managed to shrug. "So?" she asked.

Erika rolled her eyes "So, I **know**you don't love him" Anneliese's expression didn't changed, she still doubt that this woman knew her. So to prove herself to her, she decided to only give a glimpse of the information she had "The man you truly love had bright blue eyes-"

The blonde's eyes expanded in surprise, how did she know that? "Huh… No… they're not blue." Anneliese tried to lie, but the tone of her voice was betraying her. And trying to change the subject, "Who sent you here?" she asked, "Are you supposed to kill me or something?" the blonde woman asked, founding that that was the only reason Erika could possibly have to do what she was doing.

The other girl shook her head, "No, no. It's just that…" She couldn't just tell her everything at once, it would make Anneliese think she is even more crazy than she already think she is. "Right now, it's hard to explain. You won't believe me-"

Anneliese, who had caught her breath already, cut her off. "Of course I won't, just tell me who sent you!"

"Nobody did!" Erika answered. The Queen took a deep breath, still not having a clue of this woman's origin. She looked exactly like her, knew things only several people knew, Frederick had warned Preminger about her and she had kidnap her! So there was only one reasonable explanation -

"Did Lily send you?" Anneliese asked; Erika rolled her eyes "Are you some kind of creature she made?" Anneliese asked again, this time with a bit of anger in her voice.

"My _parents_made me, just like yours did!" And her patience was beginning to run out "Look," A way to make Anneliese begin to trust her appeared on her mind. "Ask me something that people don't know about you, _anything_. You'll see that I **do**know you and that you can trust me."

Anneliese looked suspiciously at her for a moment, her blue eyes eyeing the face on that identical person who was pinning her down to the ground. "Okay…" she agreed. "What's my middle name?"

Erika sighed, trying not to roll her eyes. "Anneliese, you don't have a middle name and even if you did everyone in the kingdom would know it because you're their Queen."

The blonde woman knew that, she was just testing her to see if she fell on her trap. And clearly noticing that Erika did knew a lot of things about her; she decided to go for a hard question to prove her wrong.

"That blue eyed guy you mentioned before," Anneliese started, Erika nodded. "What does that man mean to me?"

The brunette smirked, this was way too easy. "His name is Julian, he was your tutor and well… he's supposed to be your husband instead of Preminger." Anneliese's jaw slightly dropped - how the heck this woman knew all of that stuff? "He means everything to you; you love him with all your heart"

When the brunette girl finished answering Anneliese's question, she was baffled. The blonde woman couldn't find a coherent explanation to her current situation. A woman that had her exact physical appearance - except for her dark hair, she claimed that she knew her and now Anneliese had discovered that she knew some of her deepest secrets.

Still not being entirely convinced to trust this woman, she decided to demand more reasons to do it. "I don't even know you," she started "You hit me in the head so you could drag me here, you say you know me and I don't know if you have noticed but you look oddly exactly like me." Erika nodded, and before she could start talking Anneliese continued. "But that's not all! Pretty much everything you've said to me is illogical even when part of it is true."

"Then why do you say it's illogical if it is true?" Erika asked.

"Because you aren't supposed to know it!" Anneliese instantly replied, finally sighing she asked: "Why should I trust you?"

She bit her lower lip before trying to answer her friend's question "Because… because… huh… " Erika sighed and released Anneliese, standing up and realizing that the Queen didn't have reasons to trust her. Anneliese saw the more calmed face of Erika, and even when she wanted to run off again she really wanted to hear what Erika had to say. She stared at her still lying on the floor, lifting her head to meet her eyes.

The brunette smiled, an idea came to her head. The same idea she got when she first met her, the thing that made them become friends in just some minutes. She forced a smile on her face and started to sing:

"_I'm just like you…__You're just like me._

_There's somewhere else we'd rather be._

_Somewhere that's ours, somewhere that dreams come true._

_Yes, I am a girl like you._

_You'd never think that it was so, but now I've met you and I know._

_It's plain as day, sure as the sky is blue, that I am a girl like you."_

Erika finished the song raising her arms in the air, looking down to see if Anneliese had somehow remembered the song they sang together when they first met._  
><em>But Anneliese only stared at her, her mouth slightly open and looking at Erika as if she was _very_, _very_insane.

She really didn't remember any of those lyrics or the girl singing them, so she stood up - frowning at Erika.

Both girls stared at each other for some seconds, Erika looking at Anneliese with worried eyes - a humble begging hiding behind her blue irises. On the other hand, Anneliese's eyes were filled with fear; a dreadful feeling she was trying to hide behind a serious and almost angry expression.

Without any words, the blonde woman turned her back on the other, starting to walk away from her. But before she walked further, Erika grasped her arm - making her stop and glare at her.

"Unhand me at once!" Anneliese demanded, struggling to break free from Erika's grasp.

"Look, you don't know what is going on-" the brunette kept trying to convince her.

Anneliese shook her head, "Oh I **do**; you are a copy of me who wants to take my place!"

Erika rolled her eyes, laughing harshly before she answered "Oh please, who would want to be the wife of such a malicious and horrifying man?"

The Queen abruptly stopped struggling, her eyes connecting with Erika's as they rapidly filled with tears.

"See?" she managed to say with a trembling voice. "You do **not** know anything about me." Her voice sounded so hurt, so changed – it was almost like talking with a whole different person. Only by judging the sound of her voice, Erika could tell there were lots of things that Anneliese was hiding - And not exactly hiding, but a lot of things that had happened to her while she was not around, things that had wounded and harmed her.

Erika gasped, that same feeling of guilt she felt when she had hurt Anneliese before. "W-What do you mean?"

Anneliese blinked away some tears as she rolled her eyes. "I thought you knew me." She mocked; a sprinkle of sarcasm was clear in her words.

Erika sighed, dropping her head to show her remorse. "I'm sorry, Anneliese." And feeling the tension between them had decreased, she decided to release her friend's arm – only hoping that she would decide not to run away again.

"It's not your fault," Anneliese said, drying her tears with her own hands. "Not many people know about it"

"Oh…" Erika replied, feeling a bit uncomfortable, she crossed her arms in top of her chest.

A tense silent moment passed after the girls stopped talking; both of them thinking about their own problems, both so different yet so similar at the same time. Anneliese had her own problems, but now she was realizing that someone else needed her help. Erika, starting to discover Anneliese's predicaments, realized that she was not the only one with big troubles around here.

She was to blame, it was her fault that Anneliese was married to that creep, it was her fault the kingdom was on the hands of an insane fool, it was her fault her own children didn't exist, that Julian wasn't with Anneliese and it was her fault that Dominick was missing.

And after reviewing the past events, curiosity took over Erika. "Who was that man singing with you in your balcony?"

Anneliese's eyes rapidly filled with some sort of odd shine; yet, didn't answer and stood quiet trying to avoid answering a question that would probably put _his_ life in risk. A small smile forming on her lips, but she didn't say anything about that man. Erika knew that Anneliese was probably in love with him, and remarking that Anneliese didn't denied anything when she said that she was in love with Julian – she figured that it was probably him and that the Queen was probably only trying to protect him.

So, in order to change the subject but still get some answers, Erika decided to ask something else. "Why is Preminger your husband?" That question erased the smile on the Queen's face, and realizing that she didn't had anything to lose if she answered, she took a breath before starting to talk.

"Because…"Anneliese stopped and she felt silent again. She shrugged as her eyes met with Erika's.

She insisted, she knew that Anneliese was a bit shy. "Tell me, you can trust me." She walked closer to her blonde friend, and placing one of her hands on Anneliese's shoulder she assured: "I won't tell anyone." Anneliese sighed, feeling a bit more comfortable around Erika, a corner of her mouth turned up in agreement. "Well…" she started, "Preminger… he's my husband because he rescued me when I was kidnapped once." She dropped her head in disappointment, the memory of that faithful day reviving in her memory. "He found me just hours after King Dominick's ambassador cancelled the wedding; and for the _amazing_ feat of bringing me home safely and mentioning that he had found a mine of gold during his last journey, mother offered him my hand in matrimony." Erika softly gasped, before Anneliese finished. "I had to accept, the kingdom would have been doomed if I had denied the offer."

Erika bit her lower lip, it was all her fault! If she had been there, Julian would have brought her to the castle and Dominick's ambassador wouldn't have cancelled the wedding. Preminger would have been in the castle a bit longer and Anneliese would have had the time to runaway.

The brunette sighed "You know…" she started, making Anneliese look at her. "It's _my_ fault you had to marry Preminger."

Anneliese raised an eyebrow in confusion, "What?" her tone making clear that she was utterly puzzled.

Erika smiled; she decided to explain everything as short and simple as she could. "I first met you when I was singing on the street; you came along to hear me sing and gave me a coin. We met each other, we sang together…"

The king smiled at his own reflection, moving the small mirror closer to his face.

These alone moments he would have with only himself to talk to were the most precious and delightful of the day. Not because he wanted to be alone of course, but because somehow no one was never at his side. Midas would sometimes come to make him company but he was a dog and as far as he knew animals couldn't talk. But even when his only companion would be a simple pet, he preferred to spend most of his time mentally speaking with himself. That woman who he had to refer as his '_wife_' was not an option, he didn't like that stupid white cat coming near him. Their marriage was only a commitment to work together to bring the kingdom back to health. Of course, **he** would always make the decisions – in his cook, women are awful to make economical decisions. Plus, he hated when she came near him – not that she constantly did that – her perfume, her cat and her dusty old books would always give him allergies. A king couldn't waste time sneezing!

Besides, she seemed a bit happier when she was alone. So spending their time completely separated was a mutual choice, even when it didn't suite their marital image.

"Your highness!" a male voice caught Preminger's attention. As he moved the mirror to see who was calling him, he saw a guard running towards him. Rolling his eyes and placing the object on the armrest of the throne, he sighed.

And with a serious expression he flatly replied "Yes?"

The man in front of him looked desperate, gasping for air from the run he had made he managed to communicate the news. "That pauper!" he started, panting to catch his breath "She-she _kidnapped_ the queen!"

"**What**?" Preminger shouted, instantly thinking that all this guard had said was a joke.

The man wearing a metal amour reached to his belt, unbuckling a round, thick and golden object to finally hand it to him.

The King took the object from the guard's hands, rapidly identifying it as a crown. But as he took a closer look, he noticed that the patterns and jewelry on it were far too familiar – it was indeed Anneliese's crown.

It was true, that pauper had taken her!

He glared at the man and frowned, standing up from the throne. "How could you let this happen?" he demanded as he walked towards the guard – who was clearly nervous.

"We don't know, my lord" he replied as he slightly shrugged, but when he saw the anger on the King's face he tried to explain that it hadn't been their fault. "She stole a horse from the royal stable and then we saw her riding off holding the Queen – who was unconscious."

Preminger frowned harder, "You worthless bunch of idiots! Why didn't you follow them?"

The guard rapidly replied, "We did, sire, we did. But she headed towards the woods; as soon as that woman entered there she instantly disappeared between the trees!" Preminger was gnashing his teeth, clenching the crown on his hand to relief some of the anger he was feeling.

His wife was missing and that day was their first anniversary ball! She had to be there unless she wanted the kingdom to know that their marriage was a fake!

He couldn't let that happen, his matrimony with would get dissolved and he wouldn't be king anymore. After all the hard work, after he did all those things to be where he was standing right then – it was impossible to give up so easily!

"Find her…" he managed to say. Those useless guards fooled by a woman and scared off by a forest! They didn't deserve any of his kindness. "You have until sunset to bring her here…" he angrily informed.

"But-" the guard tried to complain, but he was cut off by Preminger.

Waving his index finger in front of him he said, "No buts!" and sighting he said with a louder voice tone: "Find her! Find her even if you have to burn down the forest tree by tree!" He started walking away from the guard, but he stopped to warn him – wanting this job to be done properly and promptly. "If you don't find her, tell the others not to come back here."

And starting to walk away again, his last words replayed on his mind one more time.

_'-not to come back here'_

They sounded familiar, like if he had used them multiple times. Those words brought to his mind a phrase he used once…

"_I thought I had made myself clear when I told you that I didn't want to see you around here anymore."_A person he had warned not to come back to the palace…

_Him_!

Preminger stopped walking again, the answer to his predicament came into his mind. If Anneliese was out in danger in the _woods_he knew _who_ would help her and he knew exactly where he would hide her!

Rapidly turning towards the guard – who was already leaving, he called "Wait!"

The guard looked back and obeyed the King, walking towards him to listen to what he had to say.

Feeling more relaxed by now, Preminger started "My informants have notified me that there will be a '_surprise_' attack from _The Resistance's_group tonight." he smirked.

The guard nodded "We are aware of that information, your majesty."

Preminger nodded, "Good…" And walking towards his throne again, he continued speaking, "That means you know where they will attack." The guard nodded once more. "And are you aware that one of the two rulers of that group is a _traitor_?"

The guard raised an eyebrow, "A traitor?"

"Indeed," Preminger nodded, "The Queen's former _tutor_…"

That was enough to make the guard realize what the King meant. The tall blonde man, he remembered him. Always by the young princess' side, her teacher and confident – it was only a rumor, but everybody suspected there was something going on between those two. The guard nodded once again, understanding what his master meant. The Queen's former tutor was one of the leaders of The Resistance, if she was lost in the forest—the place where they had their headquarters—they both knew that if they found him, they'd find her.

"I assume you figured _she_ will be there with _him_—" the white haired man said as he sat down on his throne again; giving the other man a deadly glare he shouted, "**Bring them both**!"

The guard nodded yet again and started to walk away, already thinking of how he was going to fulfill the King's order.

Preminger smirked in satisfaction as he placed his wife's crown on her throne. It wouldn't be long before she was by his side again, not that he cared but—it would leave a very good impression on their guests to see them together on such a special day. He knew it was all an act, he would never see this girl as a romantic interest, and she could be his daughter! He had watched her grow. He served in the castle long enough to presence every step she had taken. Yet, if they didn't made a good impression the rumor that started just when they got engaged would only be confirmed, their marriage was a pure fake.

Preminger was always aware of how reluctant Anneliese was to marry him, even the day of their wedding she couldn't force a smile – but today, she had their guests with a frown on her face, or a flat and vacant expression, would loosen people's commentaries. But, how could he make her do that? She never listened to him, or followed his instructions – how was he going to make her see that **he** was the one in charge, And that if she cooperated she could benefit herself too?

"Wait!" The King called, again. An evil and vile idea came to his mind; he knew how to make that nitwit Anneliese realize that he was the boss in that palace. The guard, trying not to sigh, turned to face his boss. "Bring the queen _safe and sound_- as for the boy…" Preminger smirked, "-_Scare_ him a little bit and make **her** watch" he started evilly laughing as the guard left the room; maybe this day wouldn't be so bad after all.

"Then, you and I had a _double_ wedding-"

"Stop it!" Anneliese protested, cutting the other woman off. "This is insane!"

Erika had told her the craziest story she had ever heard, it involved Preminger kidnapping her, Julian getting Erika a wig so she could pose as her while he figured out a way to find her, Dominick falling in love with Erika…

Erika was wackier than she thought!

She was starting to believe in her when she told her those things about Julian. Only someone who was close to her would know them, but this story was just out of line! It was way too twisted and distorted to be true—even when the brown-haired girl mentioned it was supposed to happen if she had been present.

The brunette sighed, that hopeless feeling starting to fill her chest. Anneliese didn't believe anything she said, how was she supposed to get her to help her. Without her best friend's help, how was she supposed to fix this all? She didn't know where Dominick was, Julian was missing as well and she still didn't have any clue of how she was able to break that contract.

With tears burning in her eyes, she asked "You still don't believe me?"

Anneliese crossed her arms on top of her chest, and didn't hesitate to answer. "No"

Erika bit her lower lip, starting to walk away from the blonde woman. She needed some time to think, she had to think about what she was going to do – After all she had said, Anneliese still didn't believed her story. If she wasn't willing to help, then she had to resolve this problem on her own. And sitting on an old tree trunk lying on the ground, she sighed again.

As she sat, she heard a squeak that came from her dress; leading her hand inside pocket to take out the object, she saw the rag doll she had taken from her daughter at the birthday party.

That made her remember about her two babies… if she couldn't break out of this contract they would be gone _forever_. She was never going to see them again, not even to say how sorry she was or to say how much she loved them. Her dear husband, who was missing in this twisted reality, was never going to know how regretful she was of all the things she said to him.

Anneliese wandered what was wrong with Erika; she really wished she could help her but - **how**?

The girl was an exact copy of her. Plus, she knew things about her no one knew and this was the first time she had ever seen her in her whole life! She wasn't willing to accept the fact that maybe Erika was right… maybe her story was _real_, maybe all those things would have happened if she had been present in their lives.

She wouldn't have been rescued by Preminger, she would have escaped instead. Dominick would have fallen in love with Erika. She would have married Julian…

It **did** made sense; but, a woman that just came into her life and made up a favorable version of it just to make the confidence grow between them – it didn't made her feel comfortable.

Her attitude seemed desperate though, I mean she got her unconscious just to get to _talk_ to her privately.

She knew Erika needed her help, urgently.

Anneliese was always willing to help others, a good trait of her personality. The same trait that made her become the world's unhappiest woman - agreeing with her mother to help the kingdom.

Trading her happiness for the well-being or her people, throwing away her feelings for Julian to marry that _thing_…

She had a lot to lose when she made that decision, and she lost everything she loved. Why not help this woman? She didn't have anything else to lose.

Erika's eyes pooled with tears as she pressed the rag doll against her chest, repeating in her mind how sorry she was and how much she was going to fight to get her family back. Then, she felt someone's hand on her shoulder.

She placed the little doll on her lap, looking up to meet with Anneliese's eyes.

"Tell me…" she started, sitting beside Erika on the hollow tree. "_Why_do you need my help?"

Erika wiped the tears off her face, looking down at the toy in her hands. "I signed something I should have _never_signed…"

Anneliese chuckled; "You're going to have to be more… _specific_if you want my help"

Erika chuckled too, "I'm sorry" she apologized; not taking her eyes off the doll as she played with the little purple dress it had. "I'm talking to you like if you knew everything that happened" she sniffed.

"Does it have something to do with that little doll you have there?" Anneliese tried to joke; it was her fault Erika's mood darkened.

The brunette looked up, facing the blonde woman. "It…" she sighed, "It belongs to my daughter, Erika."

Anneliese smiled at her, she didn't know Erika had a child. "Really? How old is she?" That only made her feel worse, yet it fed her new desire to help her.

Erika looked at the doll again, "She and her brother just turned one."

"Oh, you have another baby."

Erika grinned, remembering her two kids. "They're twins."

That smile on the brunette's face was priceless, Anneliese felt good by just seeing it. She wasn't lying about them, she could tell. Now she knew that did not only Erika needed her help, but also two little innocent babies.

"We are they?" asked Anneliese.

Erika's smiled faded, the pressure on her chest reappeared. "In this reality," she started, looking at Anneliese. "They don't exist."

Her friend couldn't help but to gasp, figuring that it had something to do with what Erika had signed.

"Ohh…" it was all she could reply, she didn't want to remind anymore tragedies to her companion.

Erika took the little doll and hid it inside her pocket again; finding in the process the paper Lily had placed inside her pocket.

"I signed a contract with a witch," She started, taking out the contract. Before Erika could unfold the paper to show it to her, Anneliese's eyes bulged out and she gasped.

"_What_? Oh dear, you know you should never sign a contract with a _witch_."

Erika rolled her eyes, "I think it's a little late for me to know that, maybe if someone had mentioned it before we wouldn't be in this mess."

Anneliese shrugged, "Now you know." Erika nodded as her friend continued, "They are very deceiving and manipulative - they can read your mind."

"They can?" Erika gasped; no wonder why they had so much in common! That Lily had been reading her mind to mislead her into thinking she needed a day off - Anneliese nodded.

Lily was reading her mind while she was in her house.

"Let me see-" the Queen took the contract, rapidly eyeing it before she started bending and twisting the paper on her lap.

Erika watched curiously, "What are you doing?" she asked.

"I learned some **tricks**from that _Lily_-"

"You know her?" Erika rapidly cut her off; she knew Anneliese had to know her – but to actually learn things from her?

Anneliese nodded, still folding the contract. "Preminger and her husband, Frederick, are _really_good friends. They visit us constantly. It's not that I like her but it's nice to have a _girl_ to talk to at times." Anneliese looked at Erika for a second, rolling her eyes playfully. "I still know she's evil."

Both girls laughed, Erika still wanted to know some things. "What kind of tricks are you talking about?" she asked.

"Well, there's always a loophole on every contract, even when she persists in saying that there is not."

Hearing what Anneliese had just said made Erika's heart feel relieved, there was a way to resolve this problem! A smile crept onto her face as the blonde woman continued, "She usually reclaimed something valuable to cancel the deal, but now she is a _Queen_ - she already has _everything_you have to offer."

"And you're doing that with the contract to figure it out?" Anneliese nodded; Erika had a look of full blissful contentment. After all, Anneliese was helping her in the biggest way possible. Her hope revived and stronger, she was starting to look at this situation positively.

Maybe doing this wouldn't be bad after all, if Anneliese did find a way to break the deal all this situation would be just a joke in the past – she will be laughing about it in no time, she hoped. Because if everything went downfall and her last day was wasted, she was going to disappear forever, Anneliese was going obligated to live as Preminger's wife at least until he died, Julian and Dominick would stay missing and for all she knew her two babies would never exist.

All those days thinking she was an insignificant common pauper, and now she realized that a lot of people needed her. Not now that she had made this mess, but in their lives. Anneliese and her kingdom needed her to be saved from Preminger's scheme; Dominick needed her to save his own kingdom and perhaps to save himself. Not to mention that without her work Madame Carp's Dress Emporium wouldn't had been so successful; yes, she could have hired a new employee, but Erika knew that without her advice that woman wouldn't had made it so far. Poor Wolfie! Where could he be? Without her he was probably still living on the streets. No one wanted a weird barking-cat, that's why she took him in - he was different like her.

How much she wished she was back at the birthday party, so she could forget about all the problems that surged and spend her time celebrating a very special moment from her children's lives with all her family and the ones she loved the most. If only she could rewind the time, just a few hours – so she could turn down Lily's offer. But if was a little too late for that, and she had to do was think about the solution. Not waste time, she had to redefine her priorities, verify her self-worth through commitment, understand her problems but most of all embrace this day because it really was her last…

And just to start solving this dilemma, Erika decided to ask once more – wishing Anneliese felt confident enough to answer her. "Anneliese," she started.

"Yes?"

Erika rapidly chose to use the real name in the question to make it direct. "Where's Julian?"

When the queen heard those words, her body froze.

"Are you going to keep insisting?" she looked at the brown-haired girl sitting next to her, Erika raised an eyebrow.

"Come on!" she whined, trying to cheer her blonde friend so she told her where he was. "Look, if you haven't noticed it's **my** fault that you two can't be together." Anneliese looked at her, doubt filling her expression. "The contract…" Erika pointed out, "Just think about the story I just told you, and now add the fact that I was never born."

"Okay…" Anneliese replied, mentally obeying her new friend.

"It's what this contract did- which means that you'll have to remove me from that story…"

The Queen was swift to respond, with a gasp she declared that she had figured what Erika meant. The result of deleting Erika from the story she told her –the one she thought was so insane—was the reality she was living right now.

"What you mean is," Anneliese started, tears of joy gathering in her eyes. "That if I help you break this contract, Julian and I can be together?"

Erika nodded, "Yes!" Anneliese smiled, "But," Erika added, making Anneliese's smile fade. "I don't know if we'll be able to do that. So, to make sure you're happy even if I leave without fixing anything – let's find Julian, so you can be with him even when things stay this way." She just wanted Anneliese to be happy; at least she would fix some of the damage her decision caused on her best friend.

Anneliese sighed and resumed her work on the paper. "I wish I knew where he is…"

Erika raised one of her eyebrows "_What_? What do you mean?" She predicted that if they where so close Anneliese knew about his possible hiding place –if he was hiding.

The princess' expression saddened, she put the piece of paper on her side as she sighed.

"Well…after I got married," she bit her lower lip, just to remember that incidence made her utterly sad. "My husband felt that it wasn't appropriate for his wife to have a male tutor…"

With that, Erika understood everything.

Yet, after a moment, she smirked, trying to cheer Anneliese up. "I know why Preminger _really_did it -"

Anneliese looked at her identical companion. "I already told you why he did it."

"I know… but I know there is another reason." She playfully answered, "Your '_husband'_did it because he knew something more was going on between you two." she grinned, Anneliese instantly blushed.

And trying to protest and hide the truth she stated, "**Nothing**was going on between us!"

"Then why haven't you denied anything I've been saying about him?"

Anneliese stood up from the trunk, rolling her eyes and starting to walk away from Erika. The brunette gasped, the Queen was getting away from her – again!

"Anneliese-" she called, the blonde woman interrupted her before she could finish.

"I need a moment!"

Erika sighed; she was tired of running after her.

This day was only starting and it was a complete mess already - and she had only this same messy day to fix everything.

Dominick was gone; Frederick and Lily were taking their place. Her babies didn't exist - **she** didn't exist.

Anneliese was married to Preminger and Julian was gone too…

Everything was upside down!

'_Now this…'_she mentally added. For all she knew, Anneliese could run off or maybe get lost in the woods.

She was mad at her once again; Erika didn't mean to hurt her feelings. She just told her the truth, and Anneliese didn't seem to like it.

She looked at her side; the contract Anneliese had been folding had a new shape: a heart. Lily must have taught her to do origami with the contracts, that's how royal people entertained themselves these days? Erika took it to look at it more closely; it had a new phrase right on the edge of the heart formed by the letters of the contract.

Confusing and misshapen letters, the blue-eyed squinted her eyes to read them and she was able to read the phrase: '_True Love's Kiss_' it said. Some other ways to break the deal, Anneliese had said… and that phrase said it! Around the letters spelling the phrase was a sentence that explained what she had to do to. It had to be a kiss of true love, with the man that felt exactly the same for her and it had to be before her day was over!

Erika breathed a huge sigh of relief; the only thing she had to do to end this nightmare was give her true love a true love's kiss. It looked simple enough, if she knew where her true love was…

But at least she knew that this wouldn't be so hard to resolve once she spotted Dominick's location. She couldn't wait to finally see him, to say how sorry she was. But she needed Anneliese to find him, she knew more about this forest than her, plus she had promised to help her find Julian.

So she started looking for Anneliese - she couldn't have gotten so far.

Dominick rubbed his temples in frustration as he examined the map over again. This **had** to work; it was his last and most risky chance. And this second mission he had added to help his friend just didn't seemed to fit the way he wanted to.

"Are you sure you want to do this?" the brunet asked, the blond man immediately nodded.  
>"Of course I am" Julian replied.<p>

Dominick sighed; he knew this was a huge risk. "It could be dangerous, Julian." He started with this, again. The other man just sighed too; he was tired of hearing excuses from the person who had volunteered to help him. "Our people will be exhausted after the battle; trying to attack Preminger after we get Frederick means more time for the guards to catch us."

Julian stood up from his chair, glaring at Dominick. "Look, if you don't want to help me just say it. I'll do it on my own." But as he started to walk away from him, Dominick objected.

"No, no. I still want to help you." That made the blonde man stop walking and turn look at him. "I'm just saying that maybe some other day would be better."

Julian shook his head, walking towards the man sitting in front of him. "Dominick, this is a once in a life opportunity - the two kings in _one_ place where the anniversary ball will be a great distraction for the guards. If we make the right moves, none of us will get caught." Dominick still didn't seem convinced, but Julian knew he was completely right about it. This event was a perfect chance for them to attack, having more possibilities to actually win. Unlike other parties that Preminger had done, this anniversary ball was going to be very exclusive and private. Only family and close friends where going to be invited, meaning that unlike other times the security around the castle wasn't going to be reinforced. Plus, they had heard that it was going to be celebrated outdoors, which would only make their mission easier. "Look," Julian started again, trying to make Dominick see his point. "This won't change a lot from your original plan; we'll still attack Frederick, it's just that we'll also get Preminger. And I bet your cousin won't be such a strong adversary, physically talking. It will be a piece of cake to take him down."

Dominick finally nodded, a more positive and approving expression on his face. "Sounds good." He assured, "But what about Preminger. I mean, how are we going to get him?"

Julian smirked, "You don't worry about that, leave him to me -"

And before the blond man could finish his statement, the door of the small room sprang open - three persons entering after that.

A woman with curly and voluminous red hair rapidly strode to Julian's side. "Oh, no my sweetie pie." He rolled his eyes at her; he hated to be around her. On the other hand, she adored every minute she got to spend near him. "That little brainless fool is all _mine_!" she declared, raising a fist in the air as she continued "I'll make him pay for the insensitive way in which he rules this kingdom—"

Dominick knew how annoying this girl was; in addition, he knew about her adoration for a certain tall light-haired man and how much he loathed her presence.

"Cherry," the brunet called, cutting her off. "Please stay out of this."

One of the men that had entered with Cherry to the room gently protested, "But sir," Dominick and Julian turned to look at him. "She has some very important news."

All eyes turning to the thin red-head as she smirked. "No, no, James. I think these gentlemen aren't interested in hearing what we know – I guess I'll be leaving now…"

And starting to walk away, she heard both Dominick and Julian sigh. She was so very immature and childish sometimes. "Fine, Cherry. You can stay, now tell us what you know." said Dominick.

"Please." added Julian. She jumped and ran towards Julian, hugging his arm as she squealed with excitement.

"You're so cute!" He gently pushed her away as she cleared her throat. "Well, as you may remember I have some friends that serve in the castle. They informed me today that the king knows everything about our attack."

That last thing she said made a thick and short silence fill the room, a stunned expression on both leaders' faces.

"What?" Dominick finally spoke, Cherry rapidly shrugged.

"Someone told him and now he has sent to double the security in the palace," Dominick placed a hand on his forehead as he sighed, "And the ball will be done _inside_ the castle." She finished, Julian dropped his head in frustration.

"Damn!" he muttered.

Dominick slammed his fist on the table in front of him, "The whole plan is ruined!"

"We won't be able to get Frederick nor Preminger." Tom, the other man that was with James and Cherry, muttered.

Julian shook his head as he took a deep breath; he wasn't willing to give up so easily. "No," he began, taking the attention of all the persons in the room. "We can still get them, it's just going to be a bit more arduous then we were expecting."

Dominick shook his head, quickly protesting. "Julian, don't you see? He has doubled the security, the ball will be done inside the castle – it's going to be impossible for us to get neither of them without being spotted. We are risking everybody's lives, including ours…" the blonde man looked away from Dominick, already mad at his companion pessimistic attitude. "Just imagine the massive brutal battle that this move could cause, even _her_ life could be in danger…" That made Julian think harder, Dominick was right – it was unnecessary for innocent people to die. If only they could find a way to go to the castle only to get _one_ of the kings, then the fight wouldn't be so vast and long. It would also supply some time for their people to recover their energy for the next attack.

And then it struck him; at night both kings would be already inside the castle, but at noon Frederick would still be on his way there – passing through the middle of the forest where they hideout was located.

Dominick stood up from his seat, running a hand through his hair. "Inform everyone that the attack is cancelled, we'll have to do it some other day-"

As Cherry and her fellows nodded, Julian objected. "Nick, wait! I have an idea." Dominick, or _Nick_—that everyone but Julian thought he was named—cued him to speak. "What if we attack Frederick while he's on his way to the ball? While his carriage is passing by the middle of our deserted woods…"

"Yeah!" James agreed, "He has to pass by there, it's the only way to get to Preminger's kingdom."

Cherry nodded. "It could work, plus no one will hear the attack."

James also supported Julian's idea, "No witnesses." He added.

Julian softly smiled; at least they were supporting him. "It will be an easier and safer way to attack Frederick. We can even leave him here while we recover from the battle."

Nick chuckled as he looked at Julian; he really wanted to get her today. "I guess it could work." He smiled, adding another positive opinion himself. "It would be done in a private and deserted area."

Cherry giggled, clapping her hands energetically. "Then we'll make our way to kill that dimwit Preminger on his castle!"

All the man cheered together, raising their fists in the air. "We'll win this time; justice will be served!" Nick guaranteed.

"We'll make them pay for all the pain they have put us through – we'll rip their heads off!" James declared.

Julian grinned, nodding at his associates, _'And I'll rescue Anneliese on the way.'_ He mentally reassured.

Anneliese groaned as she sat on top of a rock, she was tired of everything. She was tired of doing everything people told her too, tired of all the lies, tired of being used… She knew she could go with Erika in this crazy quest and just pray for her to be right. Besides, she did have anything else to lose – but a lot to gain if they succeeded. And looking at the little lake in front of her, she started to think again… Think about him. Was she willing to live her life unhappy only to do what other people said was right?

She sighed, she didn't have the answer to that question yet - she took a really deep breath and started to sing:

_"Go unnoticed, let the freedom wash away._

_Losing focus, the pretense is second nature._

_It's a broken life that I cling to,_

_Trying to make right…"_

Erika heard Anneliese singing, and following the source of her voice she instantly found her.

And decided to join her by placing a hand on her shoulder and singing with her.

_"I feel dismay just like you do-"_

Anneliese looked at her, tears started to run down her eyes but kept singing:

_"I feel decayed._

_So find me a way,_

_To leave this wasted life, behind me._

_Find me a way,_

_To leave this wasted life behind me, after all."_

Erika sat beside her and she sang to her.

_"Yes, I see you surrounded by the hopeless._

_When they need you, you're much too good and bloated -_

_By the hopeless life that you cling to, trying to make right."_

The blonde one smiled, Erika really knew her.

_"I feel disdain just like you do-"_

Anneliese sang:

_"I feel decayed-"_

And both girls sang in unison:

_"So find me a way_

_To leave this wasted life, behind me._

_Find me a way_

_To leave this wasted life behind me, after all…"_

"If you help _me_, I _can_help _you_-" Erika wiped the tears off her friend's face, she felt really guilty - she knew it was her fault Anneliese was feeling like this.

The blonde woman felt a really strong connection with that girl, like if she really knew her. It was amazing how close she felt to her and she had only known her for a few hours.

Erika's eyes started to get glassy as she placed one of her hands on top of Anneliese's. "You are like the sister I never had… and seeing you like this and knowing it's _my_fault…" Erika bit her lower lip; it was inevitable to hold back the tears. To feel how much damage and pain she had caused to the people she loved the most, all just because of she wanted a day off. "It makes me feel like a selfish _monster._"

Anneliese shook her head as she hugged Erika, it was like if her instinct had told her to - she really felt like if this stranger was the sister she never had… her best friend. Erika returned her embrace and squeezed her harder.

Anneliese felt a smile appearing on her face, this was the first time she felt safe with someone that wasn't Julian. This woman was being truly honest with her.

As her brunette friend calmed down, Anneliese spotted an odd piece of paper glued to one of the trees in the forest - It didn't really fit with the ambience of the place.

Erika broke the embrace and wiped the tears of her face. "I'm sorry" she giggled, "I really needed to cry…"

"Don't worry about it." She replied, smiling at her.

"Oh, by the way, it worked! You figured the trick to break the deal!"

Anneliese nodded, she knew it had to work—she had learned that from the very witch herself. She fixed her eyes again at the weird paper on the tree. It had to mean something bad if it was in the middle of nowhere, it had to be very important for the police to even post them inside the forest.

"Look-" she pointed at the paper with her index finger, making Erika look. She squinted her eyes to get a better look, trying to identify what the paper was about.

"Weird," Erika commented as she stood up and started walking towards it, "Must be something important to be put up here."

Anneliese followed Erika, both girls walking closer to it. A face in the center of the paper, only a nickname was given – the first thing they read was the big bold red letters heading the sign.

"Wanted-" Erika read out loud, then when they were close enough to actually see the face of the man printed on the paper they both gasped.

"It looks like," Anneliese started, Erika cut her off.

"It **is** Dominick."

And indeed, the man who was being announced as _'dangerous and clever'_ was Dominick. Yet, it only said he was called '_Nick_', that he was a tall, white, young blue-eyed man who was usually seen with a masked person.

Erika was speechless; her sweet loving husband, wanted dead or alive.

"_God_…" Anneliese muttered, walking away from Erika. She knew that she needed some space to think about what she was going to do. She had declared that Dominick was the love of her life, the father of her children – but he was a wanted criminal, was she still willing to find him?

Erika sighed, dropping her head and closing her eyes to think. A criminal, a wanted dangerous criminal. That is what he became after his cousin took the throne, and it was all her fault! He could be hurt, maybe already… dead… No!

No, no, no! He was the most gentle and sweet man she had ever known, what could be possible had done to become this hated?

"Oh, Anneliese," Erika moaned, "We've got to find him before its too late… Where do you think he could be? He must be hiding."

She had no response from Anneliese, so Erika looked turned to look at her but her friend wasn't there anymore.

"Anneliese?" she called, but no one replied. No one giggled or whined, only silence. Erika frowned, "Stop playing, it's **not**funny!" Silence - only the tweeting of the birds, not even a trace of the Queen. Only the trees, the rock, the lake, and the greenness of the nature around her. She crossed her arms across her chest. "Anneliese, I'm serious! We don't have much time…" She sighed again; rolling her eyes and turning back to see the announcement again -

Darkness… Her hands bound… and the familiar stench of a dirty bag covering her head.

_**Author's note:**_

_Wow! This chapter came to be way longer than I had planned, but I guess it came just the way I wanted XD._

_First song is a piece of 'I Am a Girl like You' from Barbie as the Princess and the Pauper movie. The second one is another piece of the song 'Waste' by Seether ( I know a man sings it and it doesn't sound nice, but the lyrics fit so well!)_

_I really enjoyed writing this chapter! I think I was a little too dramatic though XD_

_New character! **Cherry;** well you know that in some movies there is this girl that is in love with a boy that just doesn't return her love. Cherry is that girl in this story, and she had a very important purpose in it too ;)_

_I want to thank everyone who had supported and/or reviewed this FF! Really means a **LOT**! :D And to my beta-reader Avatarfan445, you are awesome :) !_

_Also, if you have any questions about the story or a character - anything! Just let me know and I'll answer anything with pleasure :D! And, if there are any mistakes - let me know! Please, it really helps me get better in this ;)_

_PS. If there are spelling mistakes, do **not** blame my beta-reader. I'm trying to get better with my writing so we changed our 'correcting method' to make it more easy and independent ;)._


	6. The Resistance

**S.U.R.V.I.V.E**. by S_hadowgirl416_

_Beta Reader: Avatarfan445 :D!_

Chapter 6: The Resistance

"What do you mean you haven't sent anyone to look for her?" shouted the pale woman, the man in front of her frowned.

"Why should I?" he replied, that seemed to trigger a fury in his wife.

Lily scowled; sometimes her husband could act so stupid! He really hadn't notice the gravity of this situation, Erika was on the loose and she was probably looking for a way to break the contract.

"Frederick," she started, walking closer to him. "You know damn well that all we have '_accomplished_' so much is because of Erika – or more precisely because of the contract she signed." Even when she talked to him through clenched teeth, he understood her.

"I know that, Lily." He assured, and noticing how mad his wife was getting he decided to explain why he hadn't sent guards to look for Erika. "Come on, she doesn't know how to break the contract. And if she figures it out, I know it will take her more than one day to find Dominick-"

Lily cut him off, "She's with _him_!" That made him eat the rest of his sentence, it was something he didn't know but it was indeed alarming.

He sighed, "How do you know that?"

The black-haired woman snorted, rolling her eyes before continuing. "I know it…" she simply replied. Frederick then remembered that his wife had special manners of getting anything she wanted, that included knowing and seeing almost whatever she desired.

Erika was with Dominick, and even when he wasn't sure if she knew about her contract's loophole – they had to find her, immediately.

* * *

><p>Erika felt like somebody was carrying her around. At first being completely brute and aggressive with her – but she knew that it was no use to struggle until she knew who had captured her this time, so she tried to stay calmed. Strong arms that she supposed belonged to a man held her against his hard shoulder. They didn't speak a word while she was being carried; she only heard the cracking of the dry leaves on the floor and felt some branches brushing her arms.<p>

After several minutes, Erika heard the creaking of what she identified as some type of door - followed by the sound of a woman's gasp - that's when someone finally spoke.

"_Who are they_?" a female voice hissed. The man carrying Erika abruptly dropped her, making her trip.

"_Why have you brought them here_?" the woman insisted.

"Zip it and go get the boss, Cherry." The man replied, helping Erika up to sit her on a chair. "They discovered the entrance."

And before the girl could say another thing, Tom insisted. "Go and get him!" The girl snorted before storming out the room, the two men leaving afterwards. But before Erika could say anything to see if Anneliese was with her, the creak of the door echoed in the room again.

Slow and cautious steps getting closer to them, "_Who do you think they are_?" a man whispered.

"_I have no idea_ -" another male replied, "But there's dresses are so pretty." he sounded a bit unintelligent, though. Then, a loud 'thud' was heard. "Ouch!" the dumb man whined.

"_Shh! Be quiet, Nick, we are not supposed to be here._" he hissed at the other.

"Oh, okay." Nick replied, and remembering what his brother had just said he whispered: "_I knew that._"

Erika quietly gasped, she knew those guys! Those boys were Preminger's minions - the smart one that had brown hair and the not very bright blonde-haired one.

But, what were they doing there?

"_Hey, look_-" Nick said "_The one with the pink dress looks a lot like the Princess._" With that, Erika was now sure Anneliese was there.

Some seconds passed before Nick could answer to that.

"_That's no princess, Nick - she's the queen_!"

"_Oh! That means she's the boss's wife_!" And after actually realizing the situation, he continued. "_Uh… should we take her back to the castle then_?"

Nack sighed; Erika heard when the man slapped his forehead with his own hand in distress. "_Nick,_" he calmly started, "_That's why we came here in the first place, to make sure she is here!_" he hissed, trying not to speak to loudly. "_Now, come on. We have to tell the boss…_"

"_Nack…_" Nick whined, "_They'll be serving free food and-_"

The brown-haired man growled, cutting off his brother. "_I said, let's go_!"

When the door closed again, Erika bit her lower lip; she knew that even when the men had tried not to speak loudly, they had heard everything. She knew who their boss was, and she also knew that boss was Anneliese's husband. After knowing that Preminger knew where she was and that he had sent his henchmen to actually make sure that she was there - Erika knew Anneliese had to be scared.

He could have sent the men that brought them there to kidnap them – maybe it was part of one of his twisted schemes. I mean, if someone who is under your supervision and that holds a lethal secret that could ruin your whole life goes missing – the most obvious thing for you to do is send all the rescue parties available to find her. Yet, they had just heard that he was just making sure she was kidnapped?

"Anneliese?" Erika called; she heard a sigh near her. "Anneliese, are you okay?"

"Yes…" The Queen's tone felt somewhat cold - almost hurt. "Are you?"

"Yeah, I think so. Do you have any idea of where we are?" Erika asked, trying to change the subject.

"I have no idea, and for what I've heard we are going to stay here for a while…"

Erika felt bad for her, she knew she hated Preminger but she also knew that he had the responsibility of looking after his wife's security. Honestly, she didn't know what to say to her. The only thing that she had in mind was: _'I told you so'_. Anneliese didn't believe her when she told her all those things about Preminger, like that he was pure evil and that he kidnapped her and tried to kill her and Julian in the mines.

And saying that would only make things worse, and Anneliese was starting to believe in her - she couldn't lose her trust.

"Look," Erika started, "I'm sure those guys will tell him and he'll send all of his guards to rescue you. They are kind of stupid, they probably said that because they were… confused." Erika tried to lie, and she was aware of how stupid her theory was. But she could feel the tension in the room starting to decrease, Anneliese was feeling a bit more calmed.

"I guess you are right…" She replied, but what Erika didn't know was that Anneliese had relaxed by thinking of other things. Tonight was their first anniversary ball, and clearly she wasn't eager to attend. If she was held here at least until tomorrow, she wouldn't have to go to that stupid event.

"I'm sure we'll get out of here in no time." Added the brunette, "After they discover who you are, they'll let us go in a couple of seconds."

Anneliese chuckled, "Sure, because _no one_ wants to get revenge on their awful ruler." Sarcasm in her words was palpable; Erika raised an eyebrow in confusion. "And how lucky am I to be his wife? After all, I'm sure they _won't_ use to **me** to manipulate him into doing whatever they want."

Erika raised an eyebrow, maybe there were things that she still didn't know about this altered reality. But Anneliese was right; maybe these persons could use her as a hostage to make Preminger pay for a rescue or something. But before Erika could say something, the door of the room sprang open.

"Here they are sir," said Tom. By all the steps they were hearing several persons were walking into the room.

The leader walking inside as well, "Why did you say you brought them, James?" The door closed once again.

Erika's heart started beating faster, instantly recognizing the man talking - It was Dominick!

"Well," James started; "The one dressed in pink was sitting on top of our secret entrance-" the female voice that Erika had heard belonged to a girl named Cherry interrupted the man.

"_Shh_! They are here and they are _listening_! Now they know where the entrance is-"

Tom cut her off. "That's why we brought them here!"

Cherry grunted. "And now they know where to find us if we let them go!"

"Guys!" James joined the argument, "Maybe if you didn't mention anything about it when we are near them, they wouldn't know."

"That's what I've been trying to say!" Cherry complained, "Now they'll have to stay here until we don't have to hide anymore!"

Dominick watched the trio as they bickered, feeling out of place and utterly disrespected.

Frowning at them, he shouted, "**Enough**!" and everybody fell silent. "What you mean is that you kidnapped these ladies just because they were wandering in the woods?" They did it because Anneliese had been sitting on top of a rock, but she didn't know that that was the entrance to their secret community. Glaring at the three persons in the room he added, "It's a _secret_ entrance; they didn't know they were blocking it." Afraid to answer, Tom nodded.

Yet, Cherry dared to mutter. "_They do now_."

Nick frowned harder at her; a deep and fast sigh escaped his lips. "Untie them at once."

"But sir," Cherry complained, "They already know our hiding location. If we release them they might go and tell the King where we are."

Erika couldn't resist this opportunity, if she didn't make herself noticeable now Dominick was going to free her and she wouldn't be able to find him – meaning that she would have not be able to break the deal.

And gulping before speaking, she finally said: "You're secret is safe with us, Dominick."

Everybody stopped talking and everyone stared at her; she could feel their glares even with the bag covering her head.

She heard a pair of boots slowly walking closer to her, "I beg your pardon." Dominick asked - he was the only one who talked after what she said. The sensation in the room felt oddly tense, everyone stood quiet as they waited for the stranger to answer.

Erika didn't know what she had done for everyone to act like that, so she replied confidently. "I said that we won't tell anyone about your hideout -"

"I know what you said." He cut her off, his voice with an almost bitter tone. "How did you call me?" Now he asked for a more specific answer, leaning closer to hear what she had to say.

The brunette felt almost stupid when she answered to his question. "I called you Dominick; your name is Dominick-"

Again, the man interrupted her. This time cutting her off with a sharp and furious tone of voice. "My name is **Nick**." he stated, "You better ask the names of the people you don't know before _guessing_ how they are named." He hissed.

Erika could feel the anger in his voice, now she knew he had changed his name - and judging by his tone he had very good reasons to do it.

Cherry giggled, "Can you believe her? She thinks Nick is that rich missing guy Dominick!"

Nick felt how his chest filled with doubt, nobody knew about his real name except Julian. Nobody knew about this, it was his past and he had promised to avoid any contact with the people from his life as a prince. And now, Cherry, James and Tom find a pair of girls and one of them calls him confidently by his **real** name… Who was this woman?

Without any hesitation he removed the bag from Erika's head - his face filled with shock when he saw her face as a gasp escaped his mouth. The people around them gasped as well, Cherry frowned at the woman.

Erika looked up, meeting his eyes. He was just as she remembered, her Dominick. His baby blue eyes piercing hers, yet the usual loving gaze he gave her wasn't there – it was perhaps something dangerous and embittered. Her voice barely above a whisper, her own mind protesting when she dared to ask – afraid of the answer she was almost sure he would give. "Do you recognize me?"

And even when she thought her dear husband would remember her and that he would be just delighted to see her, his frown hardened.

"Of course I do," Those words where almost comforting, but the scowl on his face revealed what she feared. "You're the _queen_," he continued, Erika felt like if a knife had slashed her heart. Her own husband couldn't remember her, and by the way he was looking at her, he was not happy to see her. "- wearing a brown wig for some reason." he finished.

When he said 'queen' she could literary feel all the hatred he had put into that word. His face was just filled with shock, he stared at her like if she was some kind of alien – Cherry walked closer, her brown eyes fixed upon Erika. Dominick's arm stopped the redhead from getting any closer. And just like the look on everyone's face, Erika knew she wasn't welcome at all. Anneliese must have done something horrible to them, so she just prayed that they wouldn't uncover her friend's head.

Her expression morphed into a sad one as she shook her head. "No, I am not the Queen. I just look like her."

But the red-head was maybe the first one to presume this was just incredibly unusual, she looked exactly like the Queen – with a different hair color. This was **way** too strange, and if this brown-haired woman was bizarre then maybe her friend had to do something with this _peculiar_ situation.

So, Cherry stopped staring at Erika and her eyes found Anneliese. Without asking her boss for permission, she walked towards where the girl in pink was sitting and yanked the bag off her head.

The mane of blonde hair was the only thing that differentiated this girl from the other, but she was indeed the real Queen. And just like when they saw Erika, all of them gasped – only that this time the feeling of certainty was present.

Anneliese's expression was of complete fear - the way they had previously talked about the Queen wasn't very pleasant. This 'Nick' didn't seem to like her very much; the tone of his voice when he talked about her left much to say. Now alone to face these people, all she could do was feel afraid of scowled, her fists clenched on both sides of her body. After all this time and there she had her, after dealing with the distress of her people – and she wasn't losing her chance at getting revenge. That night, she was going to make the King pay – but now, she had the Queen in her hands.

The skinny red-headed girl took Anneliese by her dress's collar to pull her up in order to speak more directly. She knew Nick wouldn't stop her this time, this woman was the real Queen – there was no doubt about that.

The blonde woman flinched; she didn't know what was going on. She had never seen this girl before in her life and there she was being somehow threatened by her. The stranger leaned closer as a disturbing grin formed on her face. Anneliese gulped, trying to stay calmed.

"_We have the bait for tonight's hunting._" She hissed through clenched teeth.

The Queen couldn't help but to try to take it as a joke, forcing herself to chuckle to see if this was just a bad-humored prank. But when she noticed that Cherry frowned at her, she gulped again. "Look," Anneliese started, trying to keep some distance from the other woman. "I have nothing to do with whatever is you are upset about -"

When the redhead heard those words the twisted grin reappeared on her face, "_You don't_?" she almost breathed, obviously just trying to mock Anneliese. "Well that's _too_ bad! Because as far as I know, you are the Queen – aren't you? So it's your freaking fault too!" Her voice going higher and higher with every word.

"Cherry, go easy on her." Dominick commented.

Anneliese shook her head slightly, "But I don't know what you are talking about!" she mustered in the bravest voice she could - because it's suddenly taking great effort not to burst into tears. As optimistic as she was, the pressure and shock from the situation she was in made her feel very powerless and weak. In the middle of nowhere, kidnapped along with a stranger who looked uncommonly just like her, and now with another stranger who is clearly very mad at her for something she hasn't even done. Being locked up inside the palace for the past year, only allowed going outside if someone goes with her and pretty much the only place outside her castle that she can visit is her cousin's home and she doesn't like going there too often.

Cherry rolled her eyes, "Don't try to make a fool out of me, _your majesty_. It would be **stupid** if you weren't informed of the way your _husband_ rules the kingdom."

The blonde girl suddenly felt lost. She was supposed to know how Preminger ruled the kingdom? Because if she did, he had told her differently. Now that she remembered, she never got any advice about being a Queen – her mother never said anything to her for it was not in plans that she had to marry somebody or that she would have to be the new Queen in such short time after her wedding. It had happened way too fast, it was unexpected and sudden. Preminger had lots of experience; she knew he had the potential to rule wisely – but he told her that it was the King's job to rule, her job as a Queen was to 'rule by his side' and the definition he gave to that phrase was that the only thing she had to do was be by his side to bring him company.

"But I'm not informed, I'm not allowed in those types of business."

Erika tried to interrupt, she knew Anneliese and she knew when how to tell when she was lying – she was being completely honest. "She doesn't know anything about it!"

Ignoring Erika, the redheaded girl shrugged, "I see you're trying to con me – but you can't!" She leaned closer to Anneliese, her nose almost touching hers. "I don't care if your precious little husband hasn't kept you up to date; but you are as guilty as he is. If you were a good ruler you would force him to use that fortune of yours to literary start **sustaining** your people!"

Anneliese tried to move her head away, "I swear that I don't have anything to do with it, I didn't even know about all of this!" She tried to convince her again, but her expression remained the same.

Then, the door sprang open again. Someone entered, steps walking closer, "Let her go, Cherry." the new yet familiar voice snarled. Cherry looked back, identifying the person. But Anneliese wasn't able to see, the girl's high and voluminous red tresses blocked her view.

"_Why_?" She asked him, and then turned her head to face the Queen once again. "She deserves to feel all the pain her own husband has caused us with no doctors or food available -"

He cut her off, "I said leave her alone!" Judging by the sound of his voice the girl knew he was serious, she had known him for a little more than a year – he never shouted, this meant that he was possibly even angry. The girl looked back again, and after she gave a small growl she released the woman's collar.

Anneliese fell on the chair when she was released from Cherry's grasp; the redhead took another moment to glare at the blonde woman before storming out of the room – James, Tom and Nick leaving afterwards. Now, seeing that this situation was perhaps in good hands they decided to leave – the attack needed more attention than two girls.

Erika sighed when she saw Dominick leaving; this was the worst day of her life – and maybe the last. But she wasn't going to give up so fast; she was going to do her best to win Dominick's heart. "Are you okay?" she asked, the blonde woman nodded in response.

Her head lowered in disbelief, Anneliese couldn't stop thinking about what Cherry had told her – Preminger was allowing their people to starve and get sick. Make all those people suffer for naught when he had a vast _unused_ fortune! If she ever went back, the first thing she was going to do was force him to fix the damage – get doctors and food as soon as possible, what was wrong with him? And for now on, she was going to take part in every decision he made.

Then, she heard steps walking closer to her.

She froze when her eyes met the _mysterious_ man's ones; her breath got caught in her throat, it was impossible for her to breathe. The masked man walked closer to her, his hands drifted down close to her arms as he aimed to untie her hands.

Anneliese couldn't believe it; the same masked man that appeared on her balcony and offered her to run away with him - he was in this place with Dominick, in this sort of hideaway, which only meant he was hiding from something or maybe someone. His gentle touch burning her skin as he undid the knot of the rope tying her hands, her mind was blank. Still, she knew that touch - just wasn't sure if it was _real_ or just her mind playing _games_ with her.

So to prove it, she stood up from the chair to face him when her hands were freed, those eyes piercing deeper into her soul - those _unforgettable_ blue eyes.

It was him, she had found him!

Anneliese couldn't help but to grin, walking towards him and slowly raising her hands towards the mask covering his face aiming to remove it; her heart pounding in her ears, her hands trembling. But just like the time before this, he dodged her attempt; recoiling from her grasp. She took some steps forward, almost penning him. The doubt of why he wasn't allowing her to see his face only grew inside of her. Almost disappointed and confused, the blonde woman lowered her head. If this was really Julian then why would he hide from _her_?

Julian knew it was upsetting for her that he didn't permit her to see his face, to prove his identity the only option he had on hand was speaking to her. He didn't blame her, if he was in her place he would have done the same thing – the person that you love hides from you for no known reason, he understood why she was starting to walk away from him.

But before she went out of reach from him, he gently grabbed her arm. The girl looked back, her eyes slowly looking up to meet with his own once again. His voice barely above a whisper, "Anneliese…" His eyes explaining everything, they reflected in some way that he had important motives to hide – she understood.

And that was all she needed to reassure herself, her grin returned as she walked closer to wrap her arms around him. Her fingers clawed to the back of his shirt, her face pressed against his chest. She closed her eyes when she heard the beating of his heart, assuring her that this was _real_, that he was there with her – that he was _alright_ and _alive_.

He couldn't breathe; after all this time away from her, there she was. And now that he had returned her embrace, his heart wriggled from both excitement and relief – she was finally safe in his arms. Julian placed his cheek on top of her head; it was pure bliss to have the sweet smell of her hair and the tenderness of her arms around him.

Anneliese never felt safer than now, she was finally outside her castle with Julian – that meant that she didn't have any reasons to go back to the castle.

Erika, who had been watching them, was still trying to figure out who could be this man. He was wearing the same mask that the man who had visited Anneliese back in the castle; taking a closer look at him, she now was sure it was the same man.

But, who could it be? She knew that Anneliese had never loved another man, and for all she knew he was missing. Now that she noticed, he did look strangely familiar. The same long honey-colored hair, same stature and the way Anneliese looked at him… it **had** to be Julian!

Feeling almost bad to break that beautiful moment between them, Erika asked, "Julian?" her voice filled with surprise. Why would he be here too?

Both blondes looked at Erika, gently breaking the embrace at the same time. Anneliese smiled as she walked towards her friend to untie her hands.

Julian's eyes bulged out when he saw the brunette - he looked at Erika then at Anneliese, again at Erika and then at Anneliese, then back at Erika again and then at Anneliese…

Both girls laughed at the man's reaction.

He chuckled, feeling completely flabbergasted; "This is…" he started, but paused, trying to look for a proper word to describe this situation.

Erika still remembered the first time they met; they did something similar to this. They laughed as Julian stared astonished and almost incredulous at them. She also remembered the word he used, maybe the one he was about to use right now. "Uncanny?" She guessed, standing up from the chair and walking closer to him.

The man almost gasped, shock filling his gaze. "Yeah."

Erika giggled; at least he was taking things better than Dominick. Anneliese walked to his side, he grabbed her hand as he resumed his conversation with Erika.

"And you are…" he started. Erika sighed, yet another person who didn't recognize her. She had to keep that single fact in mind, '_Nobody knows you._' –Except from Frederick and Lily of course.

So, she smiled. "I'm Erika."

Julian nodded, smiling as well. "It's a pleasure to meet you, Erika. I guess I don't have to introduce myself, I think you already know my name."

She chuckled, "It would be complicated to explain right now," she paused, raising one of her eyebrows to continue, "I know you all, but for some reason nobody knows me." Julian remained confused and replied nothing, Anneliese knew what she was talking about but she could explain everything to him later. "It's a long story." Erika added; he nodded.

It was Anneliese who got the man's attention now, "Julian," she called, he turned to face her—just hearing her voice made his stomach feel tingly with happiness, "Yes?"

The most important question of all, they had been looking for the answer since they arrived. "Where are we?"

And even when neither of the girls could tell, his eyebrow puckered – forming a worried expression on his face. "Well, your highness. I'm afraid you are in the headquarters of what you know as The Resistance…"

Anneliese gasped, she only knew a few things about 'The Resistance' but she knew for sure that she was not welcome among them. Now everything that Cherry had said earlier made sense. She knew that this group had been claiming something from them for a while, but she never knew what. They even had attacked the castle and their realm several times but Preminger never told her what they wanted, and to be honest she never thought their situation was that severe.

And that was something she couldn't fix, her mother left Preminger in charge and she didn't know a thing about ruling a kingdom properly. It wasn't her fault either, as naïve as she has always been she trusted both her mother and Preminger in everything. He assured everything was fine with the kingdom when she asked, not being able to guarantee that for herself, she decided to believe him.

What she was starting to feel now was pure fear; if somebody noticed she was the Queen and that she was alone in there… it didn't sounded good.

Noticing that Anneliese was beginning to look worried, Julian leaned to talk more directly to her. "Look," he cupped her chin with his hand to make her face him, "If you stay by my side, nothing will happen to you. I won't let _anyone_ hurt you." She smiled, he was right – she was safe.

Erika loudly cleared her throat, "Excuse me _lovebirds_, but we have some bigger problems than protecting Anneliese from the people who live here."

Julian asked, "Like what?"

Erika looked at Anneliese; they knew that breaking the deal as soon as possible was more important than preventing some villagers to noticed there was an 'enemy' between them. But Julian still didn't know that.

"Like I said before, it's a long story, Julian."

Anneliese looked at him, "I'll explain it to you later." He nodded.

Erika started to fix the strands of hair that were out of place as she walked towards the door. "Well, how about if we take a look at this place –"

"Wait," Julian protested, making Erika stop walking. "Before any of you leave this room, you better change your clothing."

Erika raised an eyebrow, how were they supposed to change their clothes? They were in the middle of the forest captured by some odd secret society – plus, she never was born in this 'alternate universe', where was she going to look for some other garments? Placing her hands on her hips she asked, "And where are we supposed to get other dresses?"

Julian replied, "Leave that to me."

* * *

><p>"Find her!" Shouted the man, "Find her, find her!" he repeated, each time his voice ringing louder and angrier. Several guards who had been listening to their ruler's tantrum for about an hour just nodded. "It's incredible how a puny feeble girl could escape from you all!"<p>

He took a big deep breath and after he sat on the nearest couch, he sighed in frustration. That Erika had to be somewhere! He already knew that she was with Dominick, and he also knew that Dominick was hiding along with all of the traitors that formed 'The Resistance' – in order to find her, he had to find him.

But, even when he knew this group had attacked his kingdom before, he never saw them as a threat and so he never thought it was important finding them. Now that he had sent his guards to look for their hideout, he realized this was going to be harder than he thought. They were nowhere to be found!

And now he could hear the steady and rapid pace of some steps walking into the room, "What's going on here?" Lily asked. Frederick felt a huge relief when he saw her; she always knew what to do, she could resolve this little problem in no time.

"Oh Lily, my dear," he breathed, standing up from the couch. "That filthy pauper is nowhere to be found."

The woman rolled her eyes, "Really?" Frederick instantly felt confused, he expected her to be as worried as him - not to use sarcasm. She sighed, "Don't you think I've tried to locate them already?" Oh, that's what she meant! Now he understood. "I've searched everywhere for them, but they are just… gone." The way she was explaining this meant that she really had tried to catch them, that she had worked very hard to find some clue but that whatever was avoiding her magic from working properly was stronger than her. "I believe they must be hiding inside a very well protected place – and I just can't trace them!"

He felt pressure on his chest and his teeth starting to clench—this was awful! Lily was probably the only person that had the abilities to do these kinds of searches and it was impossible for her to even know if Erika was alive or not. She had to be found, fast – if she kissed Dominick everything would be back to normal. And normal wasn't pleasant for them. Her contract would be cancelled along with its effect; Erika would be added into the story again. She would have met Anneliese, Julian would have asked for her help –she would have agreed to pose as the princess for a while, making Preminger spend more time on the castle while Anneliese managed to escape and she would have met Dominick. This all meant that Dominick's wedding was never cancelled and that his father left him everything he owned, leaving Frederick out of the picture.

But, let's be honest, in this reality 'Nick' had suffered a lot. He suffered the loss of his rightful place as the next King, he lost his father, he was forced to watch how his dear cousin took over everything he owned and how he did as he pleased with the kingdom.

'_What doesn't kill you makes you stronger._' The young prince used to say, and Frederick knew that in fact, Dominick had been through so much that his heart was already made out of stone – hard, rigid and cold.

And what chance did a strange woman have of penetrating into his frozen soul in just **one** day?

He placed a hand on his wife's shoulder, "Don't worry," he said "Everything will be just fine, you'll see. There's no way he can fall in love with her so easily."

* * *

><p>Erika silently groaned; these dresses Julian had found where just rags. They were tattered, frayed and dirty – even she had better clothes as a child. Not that she cared, but couldn't they at least wash them? Hers smelled like old cheese, not to mention it was also starting to itch.<p>

But, she had to admit, Julian was right; they blended into the crowd _perfectly_.

And now that she had stopped complaining about the dress, she started to look around her.

This place was amazing! A hidden village indeed, just that it was situated inside what she described as a 'hole'. Deep and plant-covered walls surrounded the place, completely hiding it from the outside world. There were countless booths, it looked just like Anneliese's kingdom used to be – before Preminger took over it. People selling all kinds of items, you could say that they were progressing down there without Preminger's help and she started to feel some relief. If she couldn't break the contract at least these people wouldn't starve, and 'The Resistance' would remove him from his position – leaving the kingdom in hands of these people.

And while Erika eyed everything around her with pure amazement, the pair of blondes walking in front of her where just concentrating on the other; the Queen holding the masked man's arm as he guided them through the crowd.

"Julian," Anneliese looked up to him, "Can I ask you something?"

He nodded, "Of course you can."

Her curiosity was growing with every second she spent with him. "Why are you here?" she asked, "I mean, supporting these people?"

Julian sighed, the answer to her question was quite simple – revenge. But that simple word would only cause even more inquisitiveness in her. There were lots of reasons, so he needed privacy and some more time to explain everything to her. If he just told her that he was in this group because he wanted Preminger dead and didn't explain the reasons, she could even think he was the bad guy in this problem.

"Uh," he paused, "How about if I answer that question later?"

She smiled as she nodded.

Erika kept looking around, amazed with this little town. But now, not everything she was seeing was very positive. There were men carrying guns, others carrying spears and swords while others prepared horses with the proper equipment for what she guessed was probably an upcoming battle. She wandered, what were these people up to?

Then she spotted Dominick, he was heading towards a building with several rooms on top of the other. She made sure that Anneliese didn't notice and she started to walk away.

He never noticed her, but she followed him – hiding behind everything she found so he wouldn't notice her. And finally he stopped in front of one of the many huts located at the place; he took a key to unlock the door and entered the house. And even when she knew he probably locked the door, that didn't stopped her from walking closer to verify if there was another way to get in.

Somehow, she managed to enter through an open window. It was a simple hut; a small bed at one side, and some books here and there, several garments on the floor, a table cluttered with objects on top and a huge covered item cornered at one side of the wooden room. Yep, that was Dominick alright – if it wasn't for the servants that worked in their castle that exact mess would be in every room for all he cared. So she walked in, starting to carefully eye the place to find him.

And after a close inspection, Erika noticed that he was kneeled in front of a drawer looking for something. Walking on her tiptoes, she walked as quiet as she could to get close to him. He was holding a piece of paper on his hands, but it was impossible for her to see what was in it.

She bit her lip, and decided to clear her throat. The man winced and instantly clutched the paper in his hand, looking back at her as he stood up from where he was.

Nick frowned, "What are you doing here?"

Erika shrugged, trying to smile. "Julian was showing us -"

He cut her off, "_Julian_?" He should have known, "Where is he?"

"I left him with Anneliese."

Dominick chuckled, his expression softened. "Well," he started, trying to hide the piece of paper in his hand – crushing it between his palms. "That means he'll be busy for a while."

Erika giggled, a feeling of relief started to overwhelm her – he was actually talking with her without freaking out! "I know; they don't mind being alone."

He nodded as he tried to put the wrinkled ball of paper inside his pocket – he failed at it and it fell to the floor.

Automatically, Erika bent to pick it up. And when she looked up, she found his eyes looking straight into hers – his hand hovering above hers.

His rude, hard and tough expression changed into a sweet and soft one as he eyed her, it reminded her of he used to look at her – when he actually remembered that he was her husband...

Both brunettes straightened up, their eyes never disconnecting. Erika handed him the crushed piece of paper. Then, he looked away as he cleared his throat.

There was something in her eyes that made him feel home, safe… loved. Yet, he decided to ignore it – this was a very strange woman who had just appeared in his life. And that strangely knew a lot of things about him…

"Uh, thanks." He muttered, placing the paper inside his pocket.

"You're welcome…" she replied, and after a stiff and silent moment he broke the silence.

"I'm sorry I didn't introduced myself," He offered his hand; "I'm Nick."

Erika smiled, shaking his hand. "I'm Erika."

"Well, nice to meet you Erika. And do you mind if I ask you something?" he asked.

She shook her head, "Not at all."

"Did Julian mention that you and your friend shouldn't be here?"

"Was he supposed to?"

He raised an eyebrow at her, as if it was too obvious for her to ask that. "That's the queen, if someone discovers she is here," he sighed, a long and not too pleasant story he decided to skip and he continued, "Both of you will be safer if you get out of this place, you should go."

She lightly pouted her lips, almost as if she was trying to make him feel sorry for her. And he hated to admit that it was working, how could he be telling this beautiful, sweet girl to get out from his hideout?

Wait!

Nick frowned, shaking his head. What was he thinking? Beautiful, sweet girl? He should be preparing himself for the battle, instead of admiring a stranger. And yet, another look into those deep sapphire eyes and his heart skipped a beat.

Perhaps, _love at first sight_ - **No**! _That_ only existed in fairytales, stories that only children bought. He was an adult, he didn't believe in those silly tales anymore.

The prince marries the princess and they live happily ever after - yeah right.

For him it went more like: The prince's cousin kicks him out of his own kingdom because the princess that was going to marry him to help him get his rightful place ran away. He plans revenge against his cousin, who married a witch to take over the kingdom. Who is also the person he suspects murdered his father in order to become King. Now, that sounds familiar and realistic.

"I could stay here with you; I could help you with -"

Nick cut her off, "Trust me, you only have to get out of here and take your friend with you. You'll be doing me a huge favor."

Erika scowled, "I can't leave-I have to stay here." Choosing to leave as simple as that, she turned and started walking around the room. "Besides," she continued, "Don't you think Anneliese is in safer hands here?"

Dominick nodded, following her every step – he hated when people looked through his stuff. "I know she is, but she won't if someone finds out she's the Queen." He repeated; Erika knew he was right. Yet, she knew that no matter what kind of danger she was facing her blonde friend wouldn't leave without a certain masked man.

"She _is_ the Queen, but she's hiding just like everyone here. Don't you think they know that she is on their side they will support her instead of hurting her?" And before he could even reply, she kept talking. "That's another thing I wanted to ask, why is everyone hiding? I mean, is Preminger looking for you? Did you did something wrong? They are offering a reward for whoever turns you in, and I saw some sort of -"

"Whoa," he cut her off, again, "Slow down there, will you? First of all, I don't even know you, which means that I don't have to explain the things I've done to you." She almost frowned, "And where do you come from? Everyone knows who we are, what we do and what we want."

Erika shrugged, "But I don't, and I don't think it would take much time to explain it to me."

Nick sighed; sometimes, if you cannot fight against your enemy, just join him. "As you may already know, we are called 'The Resistance'. We are a community of people who are not okay with the unreasonable laws of our rulers. This village is composed by people from both kingdoms, and our goal is to eliminate those two pompous fools."

The woman nodded, but all of her questions were still not answered. "But, why eliminate them? Can't you just like kick them out of their places? I'm sure if some higher authorities know about this injustice -"

"What higher authorities?" he interrupted her, once again. "A higher rank than a King?"

Well, he won this round because he was absolutely right. Who was more powerful than the King? No one could order him to do nothing, it was impossible to hold them and make them do what everybody knew was right.

"Then, how are you planning to… _eliminate_ them?" God, that word sounded so strong and evil. How was Dominick planning of doing something like that to someone?

"We'll attack Preminger's palace tonight, there will be an anniversary ball and Frederick will be in the castle as well."

"And," she paused, thinking twice before asking him, "Are you going to kill them?"

With the tone of voice she had used to ask that, it sounded so immoral and inhumane – but he knew better, he knew that it was for a good cause. Without those two, both kingdoms would return to their glory days. And before he replied, he cleared his throat. Because it was suddenly taking a great effort to reply to that question. "Ye-Yeah."

He saw how the woman lowered her head. And for a moment, she felt twice as guilty for everything that was happening. It was her fault Dominick had become this… this _monster_. "Can I ask you something else?" Nick nodded, "_Why_ are you killing them?"

He cleared his throat again, why was it so hard to tell her? "I already told you." he simply responded.

The girl shook her head, "You don't take someone's life away just because they are horrible rulers."

His eyes widened, this girl made him flinch internally. How the hell did she knew how to break him down like this? Maybe he shouldn't look into those sapphire depths when he talked to her. Maybe he should avoid her, because she was almost mind-controlling him! "Frederick…" he started, a knot started to build up in his throat, "Frederick killed my father."

Erika gasped another horrendous surprise! And everything made sense to her; she had heard the story before. Dominick had told her about his father, about what he did to choose between his son and his nephew. He told her about the wedding, he was supposed to get married as soon as possible – however, his father understood his son's situation. Erika was learning to be free, she wanted to travel the world before marrying Dominick and he comprehended that. Dominick was chosen to be the new ruler; Frederick was left with nothing after he disobeyed his uncle's orders – marrying the kingdom's witch and inviting her to live in their castle was too much. The former King didn't have anything against her, just that he knew how malicious, harmful and perverse Lily really was. And so, Frederick decided to quit his duties as a Royal and moved out of the castle – he lived with her they always guessed.

However, in this universe, Frederick and Lily did succeed. Dominick came back home without a bride, and since Frederick had one he had some advantage. "He played a horrible dirty trick on my father, told him that he had engaged a girl that lived in the kingdom – even paid a woman to pose as her for a couple of hours – and those were the rules he had arranged." Nick paused, stopping the tears that were starting to form in his eyes. "And then, it happened in a flash, the same moment my dad declared him King, he became sick – in a matter of days, he died."

Erika had no words; she couldn't tell him it was her fault. He even told her that, it meant that he somehow trusted her already. Maybe he had thought that out loud. Because if you think about it, he wasn't supposed to know that she knew about his story. She walked closer to him, and gently placed a hand on his shoulder. "I'm so sorry…" she whispered.

Nick nodded as he took a deep breath. "I think you should be leaving now," he started, Erika was about to complain as she removed her hand from his shoulder. "If you want to stay here, then you better help with the attack."

She didn't know if she should frown, or if she should smile – he was literary kicking her out of his hut but at least she got to stay there.

* * *

><p>"And this is where I live," Julian said as he opened the door of the small cabin, Anneliese grinned as she stepped inside. And closing the door behind him, he continued, "It's not very much for a Queen to visit -"<p>

And before he even started to talk about that subject, she cut him off. "It's more than enough." He smiled, even when she still couldn't notice – that mask on his face was avoiding her to see how happy he actually was to have her there.

But, Anneliese knew he was more than glad – she felt home with just feeling his presence in the room. She looked around. It was a perfectly cozy, little home. Not even half of what she was used to live in, but just enough to make her feel cheerful. The small bed, a desk and a chair on the other side of the room, several candles, a mirror-less dresser at a corner and the distinctive books piled all over the place. Some papers nailed to the wood-walls and several small windows that were the only passage for light to enter.

She felt him walking closer to her, next thing she knew she was surrounded by his arms. He just couldn't believe she was there with him, and he wasn't planning on letting go of her. She sighed, she felt so protected in his arms and yet there was the possibility that she might lose him.

Pressing her face against his chest and closing her eyes she whispered: "I've missed you so much…"

He held her tighter, "I've missed you too. I promise you that I won't allow anyone to separate us ever again."

"How can you be so sure about that?" She knew that Preminger, for some reason, didn't wanted Julian around her. And that he had even fired him to prevent any contact between them. If he did it before, he could do it again.

"Trust me, we'll be together." He broke the embrace, taking her hands in his. "He won't be a problem anymore, not after tonight."

Anneliese frowned in confusion, that didn't sound very good. "What do you mean?"

Julian doubted for a moment, what if he told her everything and she didn't believe him? So he decided not to reply to her question, "Just trust me. He'll pay."

"He'll pay for what?"

Julian sighed; she didn't know anything – about his scheme, about her kidnapping, about the gold or about her mother. She was clueless! Not to mention he wanted to tear him apart for marrying Anneliese, she had given him everything when she didn't even love him.

"For everything he has done," he replied, then –even when she still couldn't see- his expression softened. "But, let's leave that subject alone for a while…"

Anneliese smiled, getting closer to him. "We should wait no more…"

He chuckled, "You're right, we've waited enough."

He started leaning closer to her, closing the distance between them… their faces inches apart. She almost chuckled in front of him; he was leaning to kiss her as if he didn't have that mask on. And she couldn't help but to wonder even more about why he had been using it…

Anneliese again raised her hands to his face, hoping to remove his mask. Now that they were in a more secluded area he had reasons to remove it, yet here they stood and all she could see were his eyes. Oh, how she longed to see the face hidden behind that mask!

His hands caught hers just as she began pulling the mask upward; revealing everything below the tip of his nose.

Anneliese sighed.

One of his hands released hers, gently cupping under her chin and pulling her face up. His eyes gazed deeply into hers, making her lose her train of thought. So, she leaned in; her face inches from his. He followed suit and their lips met; just as each had only dreamed of for the past year. And she took advantage of his distraction, swiftly succeeding in removing the rest of his mask.

He pulled away stunned and she gasped. Everything about him was the same; that same soft look in his eyes; same raised cheekbones and strong jaw line. Everything except for that scar...

A fine diagonal line, the center running just under his right eye. A slight curve in dual directions; one downward, cutting off above his top lip. The other followed an upward motion in an almost perfectly horizontal path, ending at the entrance of his ear.

Carefully, like a caress, Anneliese's fingers traced the length of unsightly blemish; his eyes closed and he sucked in a sharp breath.

"What happened?" Anneliese asked, her voice barely audible, "Who did this to you?"

He simply shook his head, biting down on his bottom lip. "It's better if you didn't know."

Anneliese's eyes filled with horror, he didn't have to tell her who had done it – just a glimpse of the pain that flickered in his eyes was enough for her to figure it out. "No… he got what he wanted when he became king... he had no reasons to do this-"

"Anneliese," he began slowly, "There's a lot you don't know about him..."

And just when she was about to say something, someone knocked at his door.

An impatient and irritating voice started calling from outside, "Julian!" And the Queen could not stop the scowl from forming upon her face when she remembered who the owner of that voice was. "Hurry, Julian! Open up! I have something for you!"

Julian rolled his eyes, he knew it was her. He also knew how Anneliese felt about her; he didn't even have to ask. Yet, he knew he had to open the door because if he didn't, she was probably going to tear it down.

So, sighing and running a hand through his hair, Julian replied. "I'm busy, Cherry."

The girl did not hesitate to protest, "Oh come on Julian; this won't take long!" The blue-eyed man looked at Anneliese, and even when she smiled at him she found it hard to get used to that scar on his face – not because it bothered her, she loved him no matter how he looked, it was knowing who was responsible for it that made her feel a mixture of anger and sadness. And he looked like he was ashamed of looking at her, yet he was almost asking for her permission to get rid of the girl knocking at the door. "You know that if you don't open the door I will enter anyway."

"Ugh…" he grunted, why did she had to be so annoying? He looked at her again; a smile flickered in his face before he turned away. "Wait here," he said.

And as he walked to the door, he decided that it would be better if he was the one who went outside instead of letting Cherry in. Then, closing the door behind him, Julian instantly saw the red-head and knew why she had come. In her arms were several spears, the blacksmith must had sent her to bring them.

"Hello, sweetheart!" she chirped, walking closer to him.

He scratched the back of his neck, rolling his eyes. "Uh, hi."

She smiled, taking the pack of spears and handing them to the man in front of her. "I brought you your spears."

Julian took them, and only said: "Thanks." She noticed that he was being awfully quiet; sure Julian almost never talked to her, but when he did he wasn't this quiet and distracted. '_He must be hiding something.'_ She thought; plus, the fact that he hadn't invited her to come inside made her suspicious.

"You know," she started, "It is very rude when a gentleman doesn't invites a lady to come into his home when she has come to visit."

Julian almost sighed, "You know that is utterly impolite for a lady to interrupt a man when he's in the middle of a very important situation."

Cherry snorted; Julian was never this mysterious, he was the most honest and decent man she knew! "What could be so important for **you** to hide?" And before he could even reply, the girl headed for the entrance and rapidly turned the doorknob. He tried to grab her arm before she walked in, but she was faster.

Anneliese looked at them, confusion filled her gaze. "What's going on?" she asked, Cherry frowned.

She turned to Julian and hissed through her clenched teeth, "What is she doing here?"

The man decided not to say a word, it would be worthless if he did anyway, and he walked inside as well. Anneliese looked almost worried when she saw Julian holding the dangerously sharp-looking objects, she had seen the guards at her castle using them as well and she knew they could only cause harm to others. Then, after he placed them on top of his bed, he decided it was time for Cherry to learn the truth.

So, he walked to Anneliese's side and took her hand – entwining her fingers with his.

He saw how the redhead's brown eyes bulged out as she started to take short, fast and shallow breaths. Her jaw slightly dropped, "_I see…_"

Anneliese felt so out of place, she didn't know why this woman was acting like this when she saw Julian simply holding her hand. But, because she didn't know anything about her – she decided to stay quiet and let Julian do what he thought was right.

Cherry couldn't think about what to do next, so she just stood there – staring at them.

And just before the tense moment brought the worse out this situation, the front door sprung open and a man came in.

"Excuse me Sir," he said, Julian nodded. "You are needed in the stables."

"Go look for Nick -"

"I'm afraid it has to be you, sir. There's a book with the instructions and you are the -"

"Alright, alright." Julian had to agree, he knew most of the people in the kingdom didn't have the opportunity to get a good education – so it was odd when one of the villagers was capable if reading. And his help was needed, as one of the leaders of this group he had to go.

He turned to Anneliese, leaning to whisper something to her. "I'll be back as soon as I can, stay in here and don't let anyone in." She nodded, still a bit confused at what was happening. Before he left, he leaned again to kiss her. And just when he was about to kick Cherry out, he noticed she wasn't there anymore.

* * *

><p>"Oh, I'm so glad you're here!" cried an extremely melodramatic voice as a short man entered the room. He looked at the person who had called for him, and noticed that the expression on his face did not match at all with the tone of voice he had used. He wouldn't dare to say it, but he almost thought the King was <em>pretending<em> to be worried. As he closed the door behind him, the tap of the King's heels clicked against the marble floors as he got closer to where he was. "I'm so worried!" he cried again, yet clearing his throat he continued in a more serious and calmed voice. "And I have some questions for you."

The short man looked at the King, "Why, I'd be glad to have a word with you, your majesty. It is my job after all."

Preminger smirked, placing a hand on the other's man shoulder to guide him to his seat. "Have you heard the dreadful news?"

The royal advisor nodded, fixing his glasses as he walked. "Indeed I have. And if I may, I would like to ask you something as well."

The King chuckled, walking away from the advisor when he sat on the chair and then sitting behind his desk. "Of course, tell me…"

The chubby man sitting in front of him nodded, "I've been informed that you haven't sent any search party to look for the Queen. And I was wondering if there is a particular reason for you to act so carelessly in this situation."

Preminger was expecting for him to ask this, but he hadn't planned what he was going to reply. "It is true; I have not sent anyone for her even when all of the employees in the palace have requested me to. Maybe for the people who don't know what is really going on my behavior can reflect my inner carelessness, but I know better." The other man's gazed filled with confusion, "I love my wife and she's also my responsibility. And you should trust me with the decisions I make." Still not understanding what the King meant, he noticed he was also trying to lie to him.

As their advisor, he was aware of all the lies present in their relationship. Anneliese was forced to marry him, and Preminger – in order to save the kingdom – agreed with the late former Queen's wish. But, Genevieve knew that Anneliese was young enough to be Preminger's daughter – so she made an agreement to protect her. She knew it was bad enough to be forced to marry someone who doubled you in age, someone who had been there and had watched you grow up – Genevieve wasn't going to allow Preminger to end her daughter's maidenhood – unless Anneliese permitted him to. Which Genevieve knew as a fact she wouldn't. So, telling him that he loved his wife sounded pretty suspicious.

"But, your majesty," the advisor complained, "She could be hurt for all we know."

Preminger laughed, "That's my point! I don't worry about her because I know where she is!"

And he couldn't help himself, "Where is she?" he curiously asked.

Preminger stopped laughing, and he smirked at the man. "That does not matter right now. Trust me, she's fine. Now, about my questions," he started, "And this next one doesn't have anything to do with our situation, but I was wondering if it did happened… If Anneliese doesn't come back, what will happen with her title of royalty?"

The little man frowned, it didn't sound good and he was starting to be in between a rock and a hard place. For him, what Preminger was doing was completely immoral. And he felt like if he should tell him, but who was he to question the authority of a King? And even if he did, how was he going to find the Queen? Besides, this was his job, and as the royal adviser he **had** to reply his question. "Well, if she doesn't come back I guess that you'll be named the one and only ruler of the kingdom." And that was all it took for Preminger to grin, but the adviser continued, "But I know Anneliese, she's a very responsible woman and I have the feeling that if she's not trapped wherever she is she will come back." And his grin disappeared with that. Yet the man continued but mumbling, thinking out loud, not realizing that the King was still listening. "_And if that was the case, then I guess the only way for you to be the only ruler would be if she dies."_

* * *

><p>Just moments after Julian left with the man, the door of the hut sprang open. Anneliese recoiled a bit, whoever it was hadn't even knocked. And she frowned as soon as she saw the mass of curly red hair that belonged to the person standing at the doorframe.<p>

"What are you doing here?" she demanded, Cherry smirked as she closed the door behind her.

Anneliese took some steps backwards from the woman, "Oh, come on…" the redhead started, "I just want to talk to you, Annie."

"Well, **I** don't want to talk." She replied, crossing her arms on top of her chest. "And it's '_Your Majesty_' to you." Who did she think she was to give her a nickname? And even when she hated when people called her with such formality, she just wanted Cherry to remember who she really was.

The brown-eyed woman frowned, "Oh, I'm terribly sorry, _your majesty._ I never meant to make you feel uncomfortable." This hasty plan was going just like she wanted it to, in a matter of time she would have Anneliese fighting with her and she could even pretend to be hurt so Nick would have to force Julian to throw her out of here.

"You shouldn't be here, Julian told me not to let anyone in." Anneliese remarked.

"Please," She said, rolling her eyes at her. "He loves when I come to visit. Besides, why follow all the rules people create?" She asked as she walked closer to her. And finally being face-to-face with Anneliese, she said: "That's why you are where you are right now; you are a silly little dim nit."

Anneliese frowned, now that wasn't nice at all, she was calling her stupid! "Now, tell me something Cherry, why are you so mean to me? What have I done to you?"

"Well," said the redhead, placing a finger on her chin. "Other than stealing the man I love from my side, I think that being the awful ruler you are makes me hate you more."

Anneliese frowned, "First of all, I haven't stolen anything from you. And I must say that I have no idea what are you talking about, I am not in charge of the kingdom – Preminger is."

Cherry crossed her arms as she walked closer to Anneliese. "Really?" And deciding to ignore the last thing she said, she continued, "And do you really think Julian spent all those months just sitting here waiting for you? Having a far more attractive woman by his side?" The blonde woman frowned harder, "Men are weak, your majesty."

And just like always, people trying to make her think what they wanted. Just like Preminger had been doing, just like Erika did to get her out of the castle – it's just that this time she noticed. "Julian wouldn't do that."

"Maybe," Cherry shrugged, "But what makes you think you know him so well?"

"_What a stupid question…_" she muttered, "I've known him for years!"

But the redhead didn't erase that smirk on her face as she kept trying to piss her off. "How about if I tell you he's using you?"

Her blue eyes pierced into Cherry's brown ones, a serious frown upon her face. And she knew she did not need words to communicate what she was thinking. She wanted to keep her grip, and she was handling this situation just fine.

Finally Cherry spoke up, "You're good." And as she said that she dared to poke the blonde woman's shoulder with her index finger.

Anneliese was mad enough, so to have this unpleasant woman in front of her - who now was even invading her personal space - poke her was sufficient to make her unfold her arms and push her away.

"Stop it." Hissed the blonde.

Cherry seemed to be taking this as a joke, so she chuckled and prodded her again. "You stop it."

With that, the Queen didn't even think of what she was doing, she just felt this rush of what she identified as adrenaline and pushed the redhead as hard as she could – sending her to the floor.

Cherry gasped when she realized what just happened, and already being trained to fight she saw this as an invitation for a little clash – and her plan was starting to work. She somehow grabbed the Queen's hand to pull her down with her; Anneliese fell on her knees just beside Cherry. And the redhead instantly grabbed a fistful of the other's blonde hair, aiming to use her other hand to punch her.

But Anneliese wasn't that defenseless, and even when she had never done this before she managed to dodge her attempt just in time. Then she did the same thing Cherry was doing, she took a hold from the girl's red hair and started to pull. She guided her other hand to where the redhead was pulling her hair, placing her own on top of it and starting to dig her nails into her skin to make her let go.

Cherry got angrier and with her free hand grabbed Anneliese's arm, _unintentionally_ marking the blonde woman with her nails.

Anneliese winced in pain; this made her realize that Cherry meant it. So, she handled to lower her head to bite the other woman's wrist – the one who was holding and hurting her arm. And finally Cherry pulled away as Anneliese stood up.

Both girls glaring at each other and the redhead stood up as well.

In between pants, Cherry smirked as she examined her arm. "That was pretty lame." She said as she noticed that Anneliese's attempt to mark her too had failed, leaving just a pinkish spot on her arm.

"I was just going easy on you." The other mockingly replied.

Yet, Cherry had forgotten about her plan, even when Anneliese wasn't able to hurt her she wasn't going to let her try.

The Queen recoiled when she saw the frown on the other's face. Feeling scared already, she started to look for something to defend herself on the table by her side. And thankfully she touched something hard and strong, it was polished and metallic – without thinking twice she grabbed it.

Sadly, it wasn't what she was expecting it to be – as she held it defensively in front of her, she saw nothing more than a fork pointing at Cherry.

The brown-eyed woman chuckled, "So, I see you want to play dirty…" She quickly looked for something inside the bag that hung from her waist and she continued, "You're on."

Anneliese almost fainted when she was what Cherry had brought out; a small but lethal looking knife.

She dropped the fork on her hands and looked at the woman, "Alright, it's over." She said, hoping that the other girl agreed.

But she only chuckled as she walked closer, "There's no giving up now… You started it."

Anneliese expression was now of pure fear, "No I didn't -"

And Cherry playfully giggled and raised the arm that held the knife, rapidly passing it in front of Anneliese's face. She chuckled, and starting to like it she decided to scare her a bit more. Maybe she would leave on her own!

So she moved the knife towards the blonde woman again, this time aiming to pass it just over her abdomen –_ just to scare her._ But as she did that, Anneliese didn't noticed that Cherry was fooling around with her and when she moved the knife towards her, her instinct kicked in and she tried to hold the sharp object away from her.

A wave of pain ran through her as Cherry gasped, and as Anneliese looked down to check her hand she found her fingers holding the blade of the knife – blood already starting to drip down her hand.

They glared at each other; Anneliese released the blade and rapidly closed her hand – not wanting to show pain in front of her.

Cherry was shocked; she knew how bad this situation was about to get. She never meant to hurt her like that – well, hurt her **that** bad. She was just fooling around, but who was going to believe it?

Finally, a creaking sound broke the tense and silent moment. Both girls looked at the door; it was Julian standing in the door frame – a stunned expression on his face. And Cherry didn't hesitate to hide the small dagger in her bag.

The blue eyed man looked at them, "What's going on here?"

Cherry just frowned as she looked at him, Anneliese tried to hide her injured hand from him. He would probably think it would be better for her to leave, and that was something she wasn't willing to do.

But Julian knew her too well, and with just a look into her eyes he knew something wasn't right. So he walked closer, and ignoring Cherry, he rapidly noticed that Anneliese was hiding something.

Carefully pulling her fist, he gasped when he discovered the dark red stains covering it.

He glared at Cherry, and she just sighed – she was in big trouble.

* * *

><p><strong> <em>Author's Note: <em>**

_Well, here are some notes that I made while writing this chapter - things that I think would explain things that sound 'weird' ;)_

_*Anneliese is very naïve. At least I think she's way too nice and too innocent; she has always been locked up in the castle with her mother so I think that is why she acts this way. And she's just trying to defend herself, even when she doesn't know how to. _

_*Lily is a witch, so she does all kinds of tricks and stuff like that - And just to clear things up, she is not able to spot Erika with her magic because there is magic protecting the place where 'The Resistance' is hiding. :)_

_*Dominick's attitude in the movie always made me doubt a bit his integrity. I mean, he is a rich young man looking for a wife - he could have anyone he wanted. Why act so desperate when Anneliese agreed to marry him? Even when the Queen was in a hurry as well, he seemed in a hurry to marry someone too. _

_*And, unlike the Shrek movie, here witches don't have flying brooms xD And by the way, sorry for the poor description of the place ;)_

_*Maidenhood, I find this subject hard to talk about in here. I've watched lots of movies that are set in the Middle Ages and this is usually a very important subject, I figured it would be something that Genevieve would consider important when forcing her daughter to marry a man that could even be her grandfather xD Plus, it would be something that would make Julian have more reasons to hate Preminger - since he doesn't know about the commitment they made. _

_So, I think that's it - if you have any questions let me know ;)_

_I would like to thank my wonderful beta-reader again! Avatarfan445! And Barbiegirl2435 for writing the scene where Anneliese sees Julian's scar for the first time! And, to everyone who has supported and reviewed this story - you guys don't know how happy it makes me to read your reviews! _

_There still much to come, and if you have ideas or suggestions do not hesitate to let me know!_

_So please, if you read it - let me know what you think about it! Please review!_

_And thanks for reading!_


	7. Bite The Hand The Feeds

**S.U.R.V.I.V.E**. by S_hadowgirl416_

_Beta Reader: Avatarfan445 :D!_

Chapter 7: Bite the Hand that Feeds

Crossing his arms on top of his chest, he finally took a deep breath. Anneliese's injury was being treated; they had one of the most experienced healers among them. He knew she was going to be alright. Yet, in front of him stood the woman who had hurt her with no reason, the same woman who had been pursuing him since she joined their group. With all that rush he hadn't had the opportunity to talk with her. So once again, he glared at her, "Why did you do that?"

Cherry tried to avoid his fierce look, but she couldn't help herself from looking into his eyes. She shrugged, if she said the things that were running through her mind right now he'd only resent her even more. And she really didn't want to talk about this.

Julian sighed, rolling his eyes. "What has she done to you?"

Still no answer. But the man was persistent. "Cherry, she's a very sweet and patient person." That made her roll her eyes, she was making him think she was an angel – as if she had nothing to do with whom they were fighting. "As a matter of fact, I know that she wouldn't—"

"She is one of them!" she cut him off, not being able to hold it in any longer. She glared at him. This time _he_ was the one left without words – he couldn't deny that fact. Cherry was absolutely right. Her cheeks red with anger, and her brown eyes filled with rage. "I joined this group to _destroy_ our rulers; and until now I thought that was the objective of this group, Julian."

He faintly nodded — understanding and recognizing that she was right once again. "I know that, Cherry. And you are completely right about everything." The woman almost smiled, "But that doesn't mean that you have the right to hurt her."

Her jaw slightly fell; he still didn't get what she was trying to explain. It was unbelievable how blind he was acting. "Resistthe rulers' orders and get rideof them _all_." She stated, walking closer to him. Julian rolled his eyes again when he recalled those words; Dominick always said that – it had almost become the group's motto. But Julian never thought of it the way Cherry was. "She's the _Queen_, Preminger's wife; our goal includes getting rid of **her **as well!"

"No!" he rapidly answered, but the look on the woman's face didn't change. "You don't understand—"

"Of course I do!"

"She doesn't have to do anything with all of this, Cherry."

"Of course she does!"

"She doesn't even know we'll attack her palace tonight, she doesn't know anything!"

He kept trying to make her think what he wanted, but she was smarter than that. That silly pampered Anneliese had probably just dazzled Julian; it wasn't hard to amaze a man who had been alone for such a long time. Still, she was sure the Queen's intentions weren't good. She had lots of reasons, and maybe speaking her mind would make him realize how wrong he really was. So she dared to walk even closer, drawing one of her hands to his face. He frowned at her, brushing her hand away before it even touched him.

Cherry's brown eyes found his blue ones, she knew how empathic Julian was – maybe making him feel sorry for her would make him listen. So her expression softened, she pushed her lower lip a little outward and her red eyebrows twisted. Trying to sound sad and pitiful, she started. "She's using you, Julian."

And even when that made him want to retort, she continued. "She doesn't deserve you."

"Cherry -" he tried to make her stop, but she cut him off.

"After everything you've done and being aware of what you feel for her… she's still married to that creep." Julian frowned harder, and even when it was atrocious of him to agree with what she was saying he had to say it was almost true. But it was her duty, he knew her love was sincere and pure and he understood that.

Cherry's breath was what brought him to realize how close she was, feeling dizzy by that fruity odor that emanated from her – and he had always thought that everyone called her Cherry because of the color of her hair. She started to stand on her tiptoes, hoping to finally make her lips meet with his – to finally kiss the man that had been her keen desire for almost a year now. "_I_ would never choose anyone over you…"

Then, as she got closer, he felt suffocated by the strong smell of cherries. That odor pulled him from his thoughts and made him take in what was about to happen.

Julian abruptly recoiled, walking away from her. "She didn't make that choice, her mother forced her to."

Cherry scowled and rolled her eyes. "Has Anneliese showed you otherwise?" That made him think about that night… He had repressed that memory for so long that it made his knees grow weak just remembering what happened. "Because as far as I know, she's married. Even if she wanted to show you how she feels she wouldn't be able to show you properly."

Now, this he hated. She was talking like if she was an expert, like if she had records of all the things that had happened to him. But, lost in his own thoughts and memories, he couldn't measure what he was answering. She hadn't been able to runaway with him, she couldn't say no to her marriage to Preminger – but he was certain about something, she loved him and he loved her. "I don't see why she can't show me."

"She's married; she has a husband with whom she shares a bed every night." Her tone was slow and almost mocking.

"They don't even sleep in the same bed!" he rapidly replied, not noticing the things he was saying.

"Of course they do! They would be the talk of the town if they didn't. He would know if she's not there!"

In order to try to win the argument, he snapped the first evident reason he had to prove her wrong. "We spent a whole night together!" And it was the sudden enlargement of her eyes that made him realize what he had done.

Cherry froze, her mind processing the information. This was maybe Julian's biggest secret, but it was something she didn't want to know. The man she spent so many months loving, waiting for him to notice – trying to make him see what she felt—when this other woman had already stolen his heart. A blind illusion, that's what this had been. And it was all Anneliese's fault. Her hatred grew stronger; the scorn she felt for the Queen came from being a simple girl fight over a man to a grave situation that had almost broken her heart. This had just become personal.

Julian froze as well; Cherry had priceless information in her hands now. She could harm Anneliese with just telling someone what she had heard coming out of his own mouth. But as he stood there what he saw in the redhead's expression was not a sign of satisfaction. If he was correct, Cherry would have been glad to have something that would hurt them. She seemed to be more hurt than happy to hear what he had just told her. Sure, he knew Cherry had a crush on him. But was she really taking everything so seriously?

A stern look on her face, she tried to find words so he wouldn't notice how angry she really was. "Just like I said, she's using you." He sighed, now _really_ wanting to leave. "That just confirms my theory, Julian." She continued, now feeling more relaxed. She was good at this 'twisting the truth' thingy. "If she really loves you, she would have runaway with you a long time ago." Forgetting about what they were just talking about, he decided to go with her flow. And then he recalled that moment, early today he had tried that and if it wasn't for that maid maybe Anneliese would have agreed to come with him. "She can't just leave, her kingdom needs her."

But Cherry also recalled a moment from today, "She said that she wasn't in charge of anything that had to do with the kingdom."

Julian was losing what was left of his patience, this woman was so stubborn. "Cherry, it's her duty."

She walked closer again, looking at him straight in the eye. "And what about your scar?" Cherry pointed at the long narrow mark on his face. That blemish had been on his face since she first met him; she had heard how and why he got it. "It was her fault."

"It was not!" he instantly said, but the girl kept speaking. If she wasn't able to make Julian see things her way, then she at least was going to make him feel bad.

"She never even did anything to make that buffoon pay."

"She didn't know!"

God was he mulish! Now that she was out of excuses, she was starting to give up. "Julian, I don't want to fight."

And he was just as tired as she was, "Go," The sudden change in his usual soft tone made her softly gasp. This was serious; she could tell. Julian had never spoken to anyone like this before. Anger can change a person, but Cherry was determined to make him see things her way.

"Julian," It sounded like if she was begging him to let her stay.

And now he glared at her, there was no other way to make her understand and she gasped. "I said go, don't you understand?"

* * *

><p>"Oh, Nack." Nick sighed, "She's very pretty, and she has the most beautiful curly red hair I have ever seen…"<p>

Nack opened the door in front of them, rolling his eyes. This happened every time they went to that place, Nick would return up on cloud nine if he saw that girl. "Nick, I already told you to stop talking about her. If you like her so much why don't you just go tell her?"

The blonde man dropped his head, "She wouldn't like me; she likes someone else…"

The brunet one chuckled as they started to walk up the staircase. "Well, you know that _that_ someone else loves the Queen."

Nick chuckled too, "I knew that."

"Which means that you only have to flirt with her to make her like you,"

The man's eyes sparkled, "You really think she'd like me?"

"Sure!" assured his brother, "You're as good looking as I am, but now quiet you know how our Master gets when we talk too much."

"Yeah" Nick nodded, a warm fuzzy feeling in his stomach still making his smile. He was going to tell her how much he liked her the next time he saw her…

As Nack opened the door to their boss's office, they bowed. "_Your majesty_."

The King, obviously annoyed by their presence, sighed and rolled his eyes as he motioned them to come in. And after he pointed at the two chairs in front of his desk, he flung himself onto his huge seat. This had been a very busy day, and he just couldn't wait for tonight. He was going to get his revenge and Anneliese would surely suffer enough to make him feel accomplished. But first, he had to listen to these two buffoons. "What do you simpletons want?"

Nick smiled, "We saw Anneliese."

"She's with them," Nack added, "Just like you said she would be."

Preminger smirked; his chest got swollen with pride. "I am a genius, aren't I? And they haven't made any changes to their plan?"

Nack shook his head, "No, sire. Everything is still the same; they will attack when the celebration begins."

The amber-eyed man clapped with emotion, everything was going according to his plans. "Perfect!" He exclaimed.

"Master Preminger?" called Nick, "How are you going to throw this ball if the Queen is not here?"

The brown-haired man and the other wearing a white-powered wig sighed; Nick was just not the brightest.

"You idiot," muttered the King before he explained, "When the 'Resistance' comes to attack us, our troops will be prepared to fight back. I know that as a matter of fact Anneliese will be there, so we just have to snatch her from them and bring her here."

"See Nick? Our Master **is** a mastermind."

Preminger smirked once again, he was all brain – he knew that. If it weren't for his brilliance he wouldn't be where he was right now. He wouldn't be King; he would probably still be working as Queen Genevieve's advisor if he hadn't come up with that amazing plan. And taking the hand mirror from his desk he continued to admire himself.

He was so good looking; he wondered how Anneliese hadn't forgotten about that silly tutor while having him as a husband. He had it all; he was smart, rich and handsome – unlike that stupid teacher. Not that he wanted her to be interested in him, just that it would be good for his image if they acted like a married couple.

And as he took another glance at his face in the mirror, he noticed how the image suddenly faded away. His eyes fluttered, was his mind playing tricks on him? Maybe he was too smart and he was going insane!

He gasped and dropped the mirror; the face of a woman was appearing in the glass. And as it hit with the desk, he noticed how purple eyes glared at him through the mirror. Preminger only knew one person with that kind of eyes, and it was very possible for her to be inside his mirror.

Carefully making sure it really was who he thought, he took a glimpse at it – still shaken by the event.

"Preminger! Don't drop the stupid mirror!" He heard her shout from the object. Nick and Nack were baffled as well, so they decided to make a run for it and leave their boss alone with the freaky thing. "It's me, you fool!"

With a shaky hand he reached to take the mirror again, "Who?" he asked.

"Santa Claus, who do you think it is!" She scoffed, he finally sighed with relief when he saw her face.

"_Lily_… that's quite a scare you gave me!" She rolled her eyes at him, looking impatient. "How are you inside this mirror anyway?"

"Forget about that! I just wanted to know if you haven't seen a woman who looks exactly like your wife."

Preminger rapidly nodded, Lily's expression softened. "Really? Where is she?" She asked with a more soft and calmed tone of voice.

He slightly shrugged, "I really don't know," that made her frown a bit again, "She was here, she took Anneliese and they escaped."

The black-haired woman took a deep breath; this was no time to freak out. There was still hope; she just had to do everything by herself if she wanted things to be done correctly. She was surrounded by idiots. But maybe Preminger had sent someone to look for his wife – and if he did they would surely find Erika as well. "Did you send a search party to find your wife?"

Preminger calmly shook his head, "No." he simply replied.

Lily sighed, rubbing her temples to calm down. She had to explain this thing all over again to another mindless jerk.

* * *

><p>The redheaded woman opened the door, taking a glimpse inside before she came in, making sure Nick wasn't mad at her. Just imagining what kind of sermon was waiting for her made her internally flinch – and yawn. But when she spotted him simply sitting behind his desk eyeing some papers, she softly sighed. "You wanted to see me?"<p>

Her voice made Dominick place a hand on top of the papers he had; he didn't want anyone knowing he was actually considering playing again the dusty old piano he owned—at least not yet. Music was something that just made him purely happy, but he didn't have time for that. So he looked up, "Cherry, come in." The girl closed the door behind her as she walked inside, sitting in one of the chairs in front of the table.

Dominick hid the papers to give all of his attention to the matter at hand, this was a small place and rumors flew by rapidly. Someone came and told him what she had just done, and even when he didn't like Anneliese either he knew it was just wrong to allow Cherry to get away with what she did. But, he knew her. He knew that she would want to walk away if he started to scold and nag at her. So he decided to give her a change to explain everything. "What happened?"

She gave him a puzzled look, trying to act like if nothing had occurred. "Nothing happened, sir."

Nick leaned closer to speak more directly to her, "I know something happened, Cherry." She shrugged, shaking her head. "You almost stabbed Queen Anneliese."

"She started it!" She rapidly snapped back, almost whining. He was just making it sound so awful! She hadn't mean for her to get that hurt, she just wanted to scare her off.

Dominick raised one of his eyebrows, "You sound like a four year old, tell me what happened."

And the girl had to obey; this was her boss after all. "Fine…" She sighed, already thinking of how to make it sound more pleasing. "We argued and… I was mad and…" She paused, biting her lower lip as she tried to make her voice sound as convincing as possible. "We just fought and she tried to hurt me with a fork and I had to defend myself."

The brown-haired man couldn't help but to smile, "Really?" He chuckled, knowing this woman's over-reactive behavior. "That spoiled, naïve girl tried to hurt you with a _fork_ and you tried to **stab** her?"

Cherry knew what he was probably thinking, so she instantly said something back. "It's called self-defense, Nick. My instinct kicked in, that's what I've been training for."

"Then you should learn how to control your instincts, that's what your _mind_ is for." Trying to blame other things, he knew why she had done this – she couldn't fool anyone when it came to something involving Julian. "Besides, she'll be with us for a while – including tonight - so you better accept her as a member of this group and control yourself."

That made her drop her jaw, her breath caught up and eyes bulge. "What? Oh, you can't be serious Nick!" The brunet looked at her; his expression didn't change and he nodded. "She couldn't even hurt _me_. How is she supposed to fight with us tonight? You know, now I see that you are as soft and stupid as Julian is, for all you two care this mission will be our last!"

"She'll go with us, that's final." Now she was just being arrogant and she was prejudging. He was her leader; he was the one in charge. And Cherry was acting like if she was the one who knew everything around here. He had no choice, he knew it meant a lot to Julian to have Anneliese around and Cherry was simply jealous – he couldn't afford any mistakes tonight. After all, taking Anneliese with them was their goal as well as catching Frederick and Preminger was. "As for you, I'm prohibiting you from leaving this place for today."

"**What**?" Could this day get any worse for her? Or maybe she had heard something wrong?

Nick calmly repeated, "You aren't going on this mission."

The redhead blinked several times before taking in all in, this was unbelievable! Anger, disappointment, sadness, disbelief – all mixed together in her head. "But, Nick, I've been training for months – This will be our last mission, I'm one of your best archers."

"I don't care, you should have thought about that before you did this."

She sighed, and dropped her shoulders. "Are you really going to make this little slip that big?"

Nick thought for a moment, he truly wanted her there. She wasn't one of the persons who were there when everything started, but she had supported them like nobody had. She had trained like crazy; she had risked her life at times to get information. But right now, she was turned into another person – a crazy, risky and impulsive person.

"Is not about that, Cherry." He started, running a hand through his hair. "You have just showed me that you don't know how to control your emotions; you are mixing personal matters with your job. I can't afford to have someone as unstable as you around tonight." For what he had seen, they could have been fighting off guards to get to Frederick and she would have suddenly burst into tears just because Julian was protecting the woman he loved. That woman, the one he lived to love and Cherry had hurt her – she just hurt Julian as well. "You just bit the hand that feeds you, Julian may not show it but he cares a lot about everyone here including you."

She rapidly uttered, "Yeah right." Not wanting to hear any more of this nonsense. Everyone was on their side, they had turned their backs on her – _fine_, she could do that too. And damn well she could.

Standing up and walking away, she already had in mind where she was going to.

Nick told her she had bitten the hand that fed her… Good! Now that she had done that then she was going to chew it until it bled.

* * *

><p>"Are you sure it doesn't hurt anymore? Because we can go back and -"<p>

Anneliese's laughter cut him off, "I'm fine!" She assured, she could swear it was the seventh time he'd ask that same question. She liked that he was worrying, but he was exaggerating.

Julian slightly chuckled, opening the door of his room and closing it behind him after she walked in – this time making sure it was locked. He couldn't stop feeling guilty about this, it had been his fault. He shouldn't have left her alone in the first place; she wasn't exactly an adored person around the people that lived there.

After sitting on his bedside, Anneliese couldn't help but to keep staring at the spears that lay on top of his bed. She knew Julian, and she knew he wouldn't use those to hurt anyone. But if Cherry had brought them then they did have a purpose. Perhaps a dangerous one.

Before Julian made it to her side, "What are those for?" she unconsciously asked.

And the man gulped, and his pace slowed down a bit. He couldn't tell her just like that, he wasn't sure how she would respond. But maybe he could evade the real question if he made her think about something else. "For tonight's attack."

Her eyes met his, worry and surprise filled her blue depths. "Attack?" She repeated with wonder.

He nodded, sitting beside her. "Dominick will go after Frederick."

"Dominick will," She remarked, her expression full of worry. "Why do you need these? Why will you even go?"

Julian tried to think of a reasonable answer, Anneliese was smart. It was very hard to fool her; she always found a way to doubt anyone's word. Honestly, he didn't need those– at least not for now. "I… I-I'm just going to help."

The corner of her lips curved a bit, it was funny to watch him trying to lie to her. "What a horrible liar you are, Mr. Mills."

And he had to chuckle too, just like he had expected – she sensed his lie. But that soft smile on her face disappeared in a matter of seconds. The worried and distressed look returned.

Julian sighed and dropped his gaze; if he told her the truth then he would have to tell her everything else so she would understand. If he only told her the reason he had to go with Dominick tonight she would think he was a jerk. Killing someone without a reason.

"I have to go; even when the tactic has changed I still want to." Question and uncertainty added to all of the feelings in her eyes as she waited for him to finish. "The original plan was to catch both Preminger and Frederick during the ball, and then I would take the chance to take you with me." Anneliese smiled, Julian gently took her unharmed hand in his. "But now that you are here, I'll just go to catch Preminger… and make him pay."

Even when she thought it was stupid and unreasonable for her to say, she didn't think it was alright if Julian killed Preminger. Sure, he was an idiot and he had hurt him – but to kill him?

"No," She pleaded, placing her bandaged hand against his cheek. "You don't have to do that, Julian. There's no need to look for more trouble." And she wasn't pleading for Preminger's life, she was pleading for Julian to stay here so Preminger wouldn't try to hurt him again. He nudged his face against her palm, he expected her to say that. She didn't know anything about what Preminger had done. And taking a glimpse of his scar made her realize that he did have reason to hurt the King. So, chuckling a bit, she added: "Maybe you can scare him a bit so he learns his lesson."

But Julian shook his head, closing his eyes to reassure himself – he had to let her know the truth. There were so many things Preminger had done other than hurting him. He had hurt both her and her family. Sadly, even when he was one of the few people that knew the truth, he had not done anything to avenge anyone.

"If I ever get the chance to get my hands on him, I won't hurt him for my sake. I will hurt him for what he has done to everyone, especially to you."

Anneliese looked confusedly at him, "Julian, he hasn't done anything to me."

The blue eyed man nodded, "That's what you think…" And then he softly took the hand she had on his cheek and covered them both with his own hands. This was going to hit her hard.

"Preminger is the most depraved human being you will ever know." She raised an eyebrow, thinking that Julian was just joking. Like she said before, Preminger was an egocentric maniac and all, but she just couldn't get into her head the picture of her beloved tutor murdering her mother's ex-adviser. So Julian took a deep breath, "He was the one who sent those two men to kidnap you," The expression on her face – shock, anger and disappointment all mixed together in a sudden realization. She even looked paler, her heart pounded on her head – some things that had been a mystery and often called coincidences were now clearly obvious.

"That's why he was the one who found me…" She said, her voice barely audible.

"He was planning this all along; he hid you so Dominick would go -"

"And then he pretended to rescue me so he could marry me." She finished for him, how hadn't she figured this out before? It was so predictable!

Julian decided to continue, just to get this over with right now. "He forced you to be his wife, he has exploited your kingdom, he tried to kill me and -" He stopped; he couldn't just tell her that Preminger was responsible for her mother's death. What if this whole plan went downfall? And Preminger actually took Anneliese back, it would be worse for her to be living by force by the side of her mother's murderer.

"And?"

His eyes pierced hers again; a stern and firm look upon his face. "Those reasons are enough for me to at least beat the light out of him."

And the Queen had nothing else to say. She wasn't going to plead for mercy, this wasn't really her problem. Preminger was a fully-grown man; he had to take responsibility for his actions. Yet, as she thought about what was about to happen that night, tears already started to fill her eyes.

The group would attack the palace, and this was the night of the celebration of her first wedding anniversary – the only thing loading the castle aside from guests were going to be guards. It was a fact that people were going to get hurt and she dreaded the thought of having Julian there. If everything he had just said to her was true, Preminger was not going to feel pleased with his presence at all. If her husband had tried to kill Julian before, like he said, she was absolutely sure that if he had to chance he would try again – only that this time Preminger's whole guard unit would be willing to help and obey his every order.

* * *

><p>This night <strong>had<strong> to be perfect, faultless in every single way. He had to make all of his guests think that he and Anneliese were the perfect couple. Their King and Queen, happily celebrating their first year together as husband and wife. The most expensive decorations, the finest cuisines and of course the highest level of security available in their kingdom – things that were on top of Preminger's list.

"I want at least five guards at every corner of the place," The captain of his guards nodded as his King started to point some areas around him "Next to the windows, guarding the doors, watching every guest," Again, the tall man nodded, "And if you see the evil brunette replica of my wife do not hesitate to arrest her, I want this night to be perfect, I can't afford any slips. Have I made myself clear?"

The captain nodded once again, "Sir, yes, sir." He replied.

Preminger then gestured him to leave. "Carry on, then."

But just as he started to look around the ballroom that was being prepared for the occasion, he felt a finger prodding his shoulder. Turning back he found his page, a thin fragile boy who received the guests that came to the castle.

"Your majesty," He bowed, "There's a woman who wants to speak with you."

Preminger frowned, since when do women come to visit him? It couldn't be Anneliese because the page would have recognized her right away. And he honestly didn't know any other girl who would be interested in seeing him. "A woman?" He asked.

And the boy rapidly answered him, "Yes, a peasant sir. She said it was very urgent."

And just before Preminger could reply, some fast gasps and complains traveled from the hallway and through the ballroom until they reached his ears. Almost every servant decorating was staring at the woman who had entered without any permission, they knew how angry Preminger could get when someone managed to break the rules – and he hated unexpected visitors. Judging by the way she was dressed, she wasn't a royal – not even close to what they called a _lady_ either. A dirty, ragged, frayed and discolored dress, an old looking bag hanging on her hip and the voluminous red mane on her head that made them see her as a down-and-out person. The ones that usually came to the palace to argue with the King.

"_Oh, my goodness_." The page freaked when he saw that young redhead walking closer to Preminger, he flew to her side and instantly tried to grab her arm. "I'm very sorry sir," But the girl dodged his attempt, easily darting away from the servant.

Preminger gazed at her; he knew her. He had seen her a lot of times before. The red from her hair making him remember that almost all of those times she had enraged him somehow…

She was one of the girls that worked for that alliance against him! Yes, she was probably here to tell him to take care of himself or something like that.

Preminger surely wanted to hear what she had to say, but the page still hadn't noticed that so he insisted. "Ma'am I told you to wait outside."

But something looked different in her. If she was here to make fun of him, or threat him, she would've had a smirk or at least a smile on her face. But she was frowning, her lips twisted, reddish cheeks and her brown eyes glassy – she had been crying. This was weird, and it felt right to allow her to speak to him.

The page tried to grab her arm again, but he was stopped by his boss. "No, no." Said the amber eyed man, his servant took some steps back to leave his King to what he wanted to do. Preminger looked at the girl, "Please, fair maiden, follow me." And with that, they left the ballroom.

* * *

><p>Dust, dust everywhere. After removing the blanket that the long-forgotten object for almost a year, the thick layer of dirt was now flying around him. Nick coughed, placing his palm against his nose and mouth as he squinted his eyes.<p>

He honestly didn't even want the damn thing; it reminded him of his old life. Back when he had it all, back when he lost it all… But it was the harpsichord that his father gave him for his 18th birthday; they shared the same passion for music. So Dominick knew that even when his father was not there anymore, it would mean a lot to him to know that he kept it after everything that happened.

His eyes traveled around the musical instrument, his finger instinctively went straight to touch the black and white keys. He didn't even had to force his mind to remember a song to play, his fingers jumped from key to key without any of his effort – he played it like if he had just been practicing a couple of minutes ago.

Dominick smiled to himself, getting lost in the moment and sitting in front of the harpsichord as the song's rhythm grew. A piece of cake, for him it was as easy and involuntary as breathing.

But as he forgot about the world around him and concentrated only on the keyboard in front of him he didn't notice the brunette girl enjoying the play.

Erika had been wandering around the place, trying to think how she was going to tell him everything. But when she heard the beautiful music, she ran – because she knew it had to be him. And as much as she wished to just come in and try to set things right it was impossible to interrupt him when he was like this. She remembered that it was the same when he played at their home, he didn't liked to be disturbed. Not that anyone would want to, who would want to make him stop making that enchanting music?

And as she stood there, reclining on his doorframe, the short song ended – and he finally looked up. Light blue eyes bulged, and his cheeks became red. For a moment, when he was playing the harpsichord, he was Dominick; but when he finished and saw the reality around him he was Nick again. Revengeful, plotting and cold Nick. So the redness on his face was only momentarily, soon his eyebrows wrinkled and he stood up.

He glared at the girl on his door, even though he knew that people that passed near his room heard him playing nobody would have dared to stop and stare. Still, this outsider did.

Nick cleared his throat, walking away from the harpsichord. "May I help you?"

Erika didn't even know if it was safe to walk inside, he looked mad and that wasn't a good thing in the situation they were in. So she gulped, trying to think of a thing to say – but no words came out of her mouth. He crossed his arms on his chest, remembering this was the same girl that had been here not even an hour ago. He sighed, "You again…"

Erika's eyes found the harpsichord once more, and she pointed at it. It took some seconds for her to find her voice but she finally took some steps into the room and spoke to him. "I didn't know you play so beautifully."

"Well, now you know." His response dry and emotionless.

Despite his attitude she still walked in, and closed the room that was behind her. Her eyes tried to find his, but where drawn back by that scowl on his face.

Erika found herself lost in her own thoughts as she considered what to say next. She had no time, yet so much to lose if she didn't make this work. Her kingdom, the real Dominick, her children, her life – all vanished if she failed.

But how was she supposed to tell him that?

She couldn't just mention that she actually came from another universe where they were married and had kids together – he would think she was insane and then she would have even less chances of convincing him.

"Look," She was dragged from her thoughts by his voice. "You should be getting prepared; polishing spears getting some rest -"

Erika shook her head, "I think I can help you while you're here. You're the leader; you need help."

He chuckled, "That's why I have Julian -"

"Then where is he?"

Twisting one of his eyebrows, he shrugged. She was probably the first person that was able to prove him wrong. The doubt of why this woman insisted in joining him was overwhelming his being. He had been here for approximately a year and no one, except for Julian, had ever showed so much interest.

"And you could help me with…" He started, motioning her to finish his statement.

Erika saw her chance; thank goodness she was a decent liar. As she walked closer to the harpsichord, she started. "I could help you with… strategy, and your… organization. Things that need to be adjusted."

His head moving along as she walked, "Nothing needs adjustments, everything is set."

Erika smiled, "Good," She said, finally sitting in front of the musical instrument. "That means you have some time to relax."

And before he could answer, Erika started playing—a soft and calm melody that made Dominick glare at her. A cold wave seemed to run all the blood from his body, just like if he had seen a ghost. He froze, his fists clenched and his jaw slightly dropped. It just couldn't be. And of course he wanted to ask her why she had chosen that song to play right now, but he even found it hard to breathe and speak.

Erika softly grinned as she started to sing, "_Once a lass met a lad. 'You're a gentle one,' said she."_

Trying to stop her just became harder when he heard her sing, after his heart skipped a beat it started to pound furiously – but his body was still frozen by the shock.

"_In my heart I'd be glad, if you loved me for me."_

The song his mother used to play almost every day when he was a little child. A very rare song; he had only heard it several times in his whole life. His favorite piece of music. And this stranger, for some unknown reason, had decided to play it.

"_You say your love is true, and I hope that it will be."  
><em>

Finally, Nick felt his feet again and he walked closer to her. He examined her, still wondering if she was real.

And that's when everything made sense to him.

A beautiful woman, who looked exactly like the princess he was once supposed to marry, who wished to spend most of her time pursuing him, who knew a lot of things about him and that loved music… it was simply too good to be true. It seemed more like a joke, more like a setup. If this girl wasn't real and she was there to foil everything, then there was one person who could have been behind this…

"Stop." He said, interrupting her. Erika stopped playing and looked at him, but his expression was not the one she had been expecting. His blue eyes traveled from her head to her toes as she sat there.

That witch had done a remarkable job, he almost fell for it – she **almost** seemed real. But he was smarter, it was better to prevent than to lament. He wasn't letting his heart get in the way of things. Tonight everything would be fixed, he would be King like his father wanted and his dear cousin would pay – he couldn't let a beautiful illusion distract him.

But first, he was letting Lily know that he had figured what she was trying to do with this girl. He'd make her realize that he was not that naïve boy that she had once fooled.

He brusquely grasped her wrist. Erika gasped; she'd never felt Dominick holding her with so brute force. He pulled her closer, almost making her trip. Blue fury surging from those pale eyes, fear threatening to spill from her own.

"Did Lily send you here?"

* * *

><p>"Cherry, right?" Asked the white-haired man as he walked behind his desk and sat on his chair.<p>

The girl, looking at her surroundings, replied. "Yes."

Preminger relaxed on the chair, moving his short and skinny legs to rest them on top of the desk in front of him. This was no lady, so there was no need to be good mannered. "I wonder, is that your real name or just a nickname?"

The redhead took a seat, still staring at the gigantic book cases that covered almost every wall on this room. It's no wonder why Julian enjoyed working here - Gosh! Why did everything seem to remind her of him? She shook her head, erasing the thought from her mind. "That's none of your business," she answered. And sitting more comfortably, she even relaxed on her chair as well. "How do you know my name anyway?"

Preminger chuckled, "I think I would remember someone who has tried to kill me several times." He kept chuckling but Cherry didn't even smiled, he could see that there was still some scorn in the way she looked at him. And if she did hate him so much, why did she come here? "What can I do for you then? I hope you're not here to attack me personally or something like that -"

Cherry almost frowned, he must have been thinking she was there to joke around – or he was trying to make fun of her. And she didn't have time to play his silly games. "Quite a nice sense of humor, your majesty, but I'm actually here to help you." She wanted to be straight and clear, there was no need to waste time.

The King raised an eyebrow, his expression reflected doubt and surprise. "Help me?"

She nodded, "Precisely," And even with her confirmation he still didn't believe a single word of what she was saying. "But you have to promise you won't hurt my any of my friends."

Not hesitating to agree with her condition, he rapidly replied, "I promise, young lady."

The serious look on her face faded and was replaced with a worried and remorseful one for a moment. This was the tyrannical King they all hated, the man who had made their lives miserable. And she was literary putting everyone's faith in his hands. "You have to swear," She added, her voice cracking a bit as she continued, "Give me your word."

_Why, this was getting interesting,_ Preminger thought. This girl was severely hurt. And he was intrigue to know what she was going to tell him, so he agreed to any of her terms. Not hurt her friends? He could do that, if locking them up didn't meant hurting them. Because after all, he was the King – he could do whatever he wanted.

"As King, I give you my word."

She sighed with relief, despite everything she knew about this man somehow she felt calmed when she heard him say those words. "I will help you win tonight."

Preminger straightened in his chair, "Pardon…"

"Don't try to play crazy with me; I know you know about tonight's attack."

The King stopped for a moment to take in what she said and then slowly nodded, this girl was well informed. He had to be careful with her. But still that just fed his doubt, he really didn't know what to expect from her. As a matter of fact he knew that he would defeat those uncivilized rejects; he had his whole army. Plus, when Frederick arrived he'd have even more men to fight back – more than double the man Dominick had by his side. Still, this girl that – for all he knew - still was a part of 'The Resistance'- was implying that he needed her help to win tonight. "Indeed I do," he said, leaning closer. "That's why I'll have the castle surrounded with guards."

"We changed the plan;" She interrupted before he kept talking, before she regretted what she was about to do. "I want **you** to take _our_ group by surprise," She continued, "We'll trap Frederick in the woods before he gets here and then we'll be coming for you."

Preminger's eyes doubled in size; that was indeed something he had not been expecting. "My, my…" He muttered, placing a fist on his chin as he thought about this new information. He was truly underestimating this group. And perhaps he was doing it in an exaggerated way. "Wait… how do I know you're not lying to me?"

Cherry rolled her eyes, "Oh please, what would I win by doing such thing?"

"Make your friends get away with everything."

"I would if they hadn't turned their backs on me."

"Oh…" Preminger muttered, things were starting to make sense. "That's how it is then…" And he couldn't help but to wonder, "May I ask what have they done to you?"

Cherry sighed, and she crossed her arms. Just to remember the incident made her shudder inside, her eyes starting to burn again. "It's your wife's fault."

"Really?" He wasn't sure if he had sounded sarcastic when he said that last thing, but that was kind of shocking for him. Anneliese was upsetting somebody else? That was certainly new to him. He had known her since she was a toddler; she was habitually nice to everyone around her. Yet, this girl seemed to have something against her… This rebellious, vengeful, ruthless and law-breaking woman didn't like Anneliese. For whatever reason she had. And perhaps he could take advantage of this situation. In order to coincide with her remark, he just acted like if he knew what she was talking about. "Well… she can be a pain in the behind if she wants to."

Cherry looked at him and nodded, finally someone agreed with her! "She hasn't even been there for a day and she has torn my life apart… She made everyone think I'm the bad guy."

"I see…" The King nodded, making up more lies in his mind so he could get more information from her. "Anneliese is like that, acting all nice so everyone will believe she's the good one around." And just like a spider building a web to capture insects, this false anecdote kept on growing. A devious idea surging from the darkest place in his mind, his most evil plan until now. "But nobody knows what she really is; she can get away with anything with that pretty face you know." Cherry's expression was now similar to a child listening to a story; she was buying every single word that came from that man's mouth. And that was exactly what Preminger wanted. "She has even planned getting rid of Nick and Julian; she hates their guts for not obeying her rules."

The redhead gasped, she was right! Anneliese was evil! "But I thought **you** were the one who gave the orders around here."

Preminger was concentrating so much on keeping his face as serious as he could that he forgot to shake his head and he just continued to lie, "That's what she wants everybody to think. She's the royal one – I'm just as worthless as any other servant around here." The girl's face had a mixture of worry and shock, "This whole chaos is her own fault; she's the mindless and selfish person who has designed this mess. But of course, she leaves me to take the blame." Preminger sighed, placing a hand on his forehead and dropping his gaze. "If this kingdom was in my hands I would surely set everything right."

Cherry dropped her eyes as well; this was a lot to absorb in just a couple of minutes. She was right about Anneliese, she was evil and she was going to hurt Julian and everyone in 'The Resistance'. She was probably going to wait for them to capture Frederick in the forest and then when they came here to attack Preminger she would trick them so her guards could trap them. There was a traitor among them and the only one who knew it was her! Preminger had confirmed it, but who would believe her?

She couldn't let them be fooled like that; she wanted everyone to be fine – to return to their glory days in the kingdom. If Queen Genevieve was still alive she would surely make things go the way they should again. But she wasn't there anymore, and her daughter was a merciless and lying ruler – the only one who could at least try to help the kingdom was Preminger. Who, like he just mentioned, had been a witness of the horrors this brat had done with her kingdom. And he said that if he had the chance he would set things right, he wasn't the best candidate, but he was the best option in her eyes. "You really would?"

The man looked up; a smile flickered on his face. "I would be the best ruler in the history of this empire."

The girl nodded, "Life is unfair for those who wish to do right."

"It sure is…" The man with the powdered wig agreed.

Cherry felt like if she had been given a task; the desperate King was trying to help his kingdom but his Queen wouldn't allow it – and she was the one who was going to help him now. "What would it take for you to become the one in absolute control?"

Preminger smirked internally; he had been waiting for her to ask this since she arrived.

"Anneliese is the only heir to the throne, she has no siblings and we have no children. She's the one in control no matter what we do…"

"What if she died? Who would be left to take the throne?"

God! His stomach suddenly got filled with butterflies from all the excitement he was feeling.

"Well, Cherry, _I_ would be the one in charge then." An idea – similar to Preminger's – started to surge in her head as he spoke. "But she's young and healthy, and who would kill her when everyone sees her as a victim? It's just too heartless to think about that."

"Yes, but what if there was an accident?"

He remembered he had to act a bit, just so this girl really believed he was goodhearted. "You're talking about my wife; I would never do anything to hurt her."

She decided to ignore the evident sarcasm in what he said. She had an idea, but she wasn't sure he would like it as much. So she started giving him some clues, just to see if he was the one who finally said it out loud. "You wouldn't, but if you paid someone to do the job… maybe you wouldn't feel so guilty about it."

But Preminger was as anxious as her, he wanted to accept that fact – it was an excellent idea. He stood up from his chair, a grin on his face. "I would free the kingdom from their horrible and merciless Queen; I would help everyone – including your people!"

Cherry smiled, "Exactly!"

"I would be praised by all!"

"Yes!"

He then walked to where she was sitting, and offered a hand to her to help her stand up as well. He was such a good actor; he must have been a famous performer in his past life. God, was he perfect! But back to the matter at hand, Cherry was grinning like him – without saying a word, she had agreed.

"I only need someone with the skill and the nerve to make that accident happen."

She almost gasped; No, no, no, no! She never meant that she was going to do it! She didn't want to kill the Queen; she had never killed anyone in her life. Yes, she almost killed her a couple of hours ago – but that was an accident! Just imagine how Julian would feel… He would hate her even more. Her face paled, her jaw dropped a bit, and her fists clenched.

Preminger noticed, and looked at her straight in the eye. "You'd be our savior. Just think of all the things she has done to you."

Gosh, it was true… Anneliese had taken Julian away from her, she had made everyone think she was wrong, she had destroyed this kingdom and it served her right to suffer. She'd be doing good… even if it meant having blood on her hands.

"What's in it for me?"

Preminger smirked, "Honor," She'd be praised by the whole kingdom, she thought. "All the gold you can carry," She'd be one of the richest women! "And of course, your man." She'd have Julian for her own, he didn't have to know the truth – she'd be there to comfort him. She'd be the person the spoiled brat could never be.

She nodded, and Preminger stretched his hand. "Have we got a deal?" With an almost trembling hand, she shook his. And the deal was sealed.

* * *

><p><strong><em> Author's Note:<em>**

_I deeply apologize for the delay. But better late than never, right?_

_Anyways, I hope you enjoyed this chapter. The title was inspired by Nine Inch Nails's song "The Hand That Feeds", I think it really describes Cherry's situation in all of this, and NIN is one of my favorite bands. _

_And many thanks to everyone who has reviewed and has added this story to their favorites, I'm so pleased to know you guys are enjoying this! Oh, and to Ruxi, if you are reading this, thanks for your review too! Yes, my chapter are usually very long, that's just my way of writing. I like to explain pretty much everything, and thanks to my beta-reader I can do it! :D _

_Many thanks to my wonderful beta-reader too! You're the best!_

_I promise I'll update sooner, and I hope that this chapter was of your liking! _

_Thanks for reading and please review! _


	8. What I've Done

**S.U.R.V.I.V.E**. by S_hadowgirl416_

_Beta Reader: Avatarfan445 :D!_

Chapter 8: What I've done

Erika closed her eyes; she shouldn't have ever tried this. This wasn't the Dominick she knew. There was no way for her to fix things her way. His hand squeezing her thin wrist; she was wrapped in his anger. Yet, as she opened her eyes and bit her lip, she felt how his own hand started to tremble.

For a moment there Erika saw _fear_ in this Dominick.

But he wasn't thinking of letting her notice, "Well, did she?" He repeated his question, this time with a more strong tone.

The girl slowly shook her head, afraid of doing something that would trigger even more fury. "Don't lie to me!"

Erika looked up at him, "I'm not lying!" She yelled back with an unsteady voice. She gulped, "I don't even know why you got that idea in the first place!"

He relaxed a bit and dropped her hand, but his glare stayed the same. It was more than obvious that she would do this, deny everything so he would fall for it. "What do you want me to think? There's not any other explanation for you to be like this!" He ran a hand through his hair, and placed the other on his hip.  
>Erika frowned, "Be what?"<br>"So perfect!" He stated. And a quick, but uncomfortable silence gave Erika a little relief. But Nick rapidly cleared his throat, and his eyes roamed around the room. "I mean… you know, to… know me so perfectly."

Erika wanted to smile, but she couldn't ruin the progress she had made. So, maybe if she talked to him for a while he'd feel looser around her. "Dominick, I -"

But he stared pacing, and interrupted her with a loud remark. "See? How do you even know that's my real name? You know too much!" She felt little when he talked this loud; Dominick was smart, she knew it wouldn't be easy to convince him without telling him the truth. Or else, he'd poke all kinds of holes in the things she explained. "If Lily didn't make you or send you, then tell me how it is that you know so much about me?"

And that is why she was afraid. How was she going to tell him **everything** without him freaking out on her? The truth was something that would sound like a lie to him, and he would probably stop talking to her. Now that she had gotten this far, she needed to think about her next step before answering to all of his questions.

"Fine," He said with a sigh, he was clearly giving up on her. He'd stop insisting, but he wanted her to leave. He gestured her to walk out, "I'm sorry for yelling at you, Erina-"

"Erika."

"Erika – We'll talk about this later." With heavy feet, she started to walk. She started to feel mad at herself for not taking advantage of this moment, he was literary kicking her out of the room and she couldn't think of an excuse to stop it. "Maybe tomorrow we can go out and you can explain everything -"

And she abruptly stopped, not thinking before she spoke. "That's the thing, Dominick! There will be no tomorrow for me -"

He placed his hand on one of her shoulders, "Come on, we'll be fine; you won't die tonight."

Erika looked away, an annoyed expression upon her face as she muttered her response. "If I don't break this spell, I will."

"What spell?" Asked the man, strangely calm after hearing what she mumbled – she could have sworn he would freak as soon as he heard the word 'spell'.

But, he didn't and she was just going to take the risk "It's more of a contract, really."  
>He softly gasped, now everything made sense. "Lily…"<p>

"Yes!" Erika grinned; Nick finally believed her words. And he didn't panicked. "I signed a contract because I wanted a day off so I could be free of all my responsibilities."

He dryly chuckled, as if he didn't know what it was like to wish for one of those. "Yes, that's Lily's specialty. She fools whoever comes to her for help and takes whatever she wants." It was simple, whatever was that the costumer wanted Lily just traded the thing for a similar one – she gave a day but took a day from your past – so she never lost anything. "What did she take from you?"

The woman sighed, this was going to be hard to explain and to put simple enough for Nick to digest. "Well, you see… I come from a place where you are King, where Lily and Frederick are outcasts, Preminger is in prison, Anneliese and Julian are about to have a baby, you and I are married and I just wanted a day off-"

"What?" He cut her off midsentence, by the confused look on his face Erika knew she had talked too much.

But there was no turning back now, "We even have children, Dominick." He raised an eyebrow, "Can't you remember anything? Our castle… When we first met I was dressed as Princess Anneliese!" Was she really saying those things? She felt like the sudden burst of confidence between the two was being destroyed by the rising of an uncertain truth. "You don't even remember… Not even Wolfie? My barking cat!"

He felt as if someone was trying to sell him a fairytale book, "Yeah that explains a lot."

"You have to believe me!" Erika pleaded, "If I don't kiss you before sunrise… I'll die."

Even when he couldn't bear to look into her eyes and convince himself so he could believe what she was saying, he met her stare and thought of a different option. "_Yeah_, I still insist on tomorrow's walk." He grabbed her shoulder, walking her to the door. "This conversation will take longer than I thought."

Erika dropped her head in defeat, "I'll be dead by then."

He had to admit he was intrigued to hear more of what she had to say, but there was no time left today. "You won't; now go prepare."

* * *

><p>The King was almost burning the rubber from his shoes from all the pacing he was doing; he couldn't even stop looking at the clock on the wall. In less than an hour his guests would start arriving, well, his wife's guests he should say. Almost every visitor that was meant to come was related to her, the only people that would come because he requested it were Frederick and Lily. And thinking about that only made his headache worse, Anneliese wasn't there—which meant that pretty much everyone would go all crazy on him for losing her, for allowing such a thing to happen.<p>

They were all there when they got married, they weren't informed about the scam their wedding had been, so they were expecting to see a happy couple – not a relaxed husband waiting for his guards to bring his wife from her lover's cave. This would ruin his image.

The sudden creak of a door broke him out of his thoughts. Frowning and marching towards him, a husk and dark man, his Captain of the guard.

"My lord," He greeted between clenched teeth as he bowed.

"Can I help you?" Preminger asked, annoyed by the sole presence of the tall man.

"If I may," The Captain started and he cleared his throat to avoid sounding too angry. "I would love to know: why on earth am I being replaced by a girl?!"

Ugh, now this. The short man placed a hand on his forehead, and then turned to the guard. He hated to explain his decisions and despised the time where he had to repeat himself.

"Do you know who that girl is?" He rolled his eyes and shook his head, his helmet dangling on his head. "Of course you don't, she's what you and I call an ace up the sleeve." Preminger sarcastically smiled, as if it was obvious. "She knows every corner of that rat-hole; she'll do what _you_ and those chumps couldn't: she'll tell you the exact location of the Queen." The guard nodded, still looking annoyed—how did this dwarf dare to replace him? But the King ignored his attitude; he wasn't in the mood to discuss anything with anyone. "Nick and Nack will lead you to the hideout."

"Those two?" The armored man claimed, not believing what he had heard. First he kicks him out of his place to put an inexperienced girl in charge, and now the ones leading them would be the two dumbest people in the whole kingdom? "They know where the hideout is? And you never told us?"

"Did you know that questioning a King's authority is considered treason?" The tall man rapidly shut his mouth, it was then when he realized that his King's mood wasn't the best at the moment. "They haven't been hiding for so long for being obvious. It's hard to get in; Nick and Nack have only gone a couple of times."

"We can rescue the Queen if they show us where the place is-"

"Even if they did that you'd still need them, the girl too. Or do you know where Anneliese is?" The Captain had lost the count of how many times he had shaken his head during this conversation so he just looked away, Preminger felt like if this had been a total waste of time. "Leave!"

* * *

><p>"Anneliese!" Called the girl from outside, as she repeatedly hit the door. "Anneliese are you here?"<p>

Finally it opened, but no more than a few inches, enough for Erika to identify the blonde haired woman. "Oh, it's just you," muttered the girl before allowing the other one in.

"I thought it was someone else," she continued explaining as she closed the door again, "Julian said I shouldn't let anyone in."

"Anneliese, I need your help." Stated the brunette one, taking no notice of what the other one had just said. "I told him everything," Erika's tone made the other one gasp, "And he still doesn't believe me."

She could see the tears dripping from her friend's eyes, her arms crossed on her chest and her teeth biting her lower lip. This, she could tell, had been a major failure—the loss of perhaps the greatest opportunity to save everything.

Anneliese knew that Dominick wasn't the most soft and gullible man, at least not since what had happened during this last year; and Erika was treating him as if he was still that man. She knew how to manipulate; she had learned to do it since she was child. Maybe Erika didn't know the type of man Nick was had to be pursued and convinced.

She walked towards her, handed her a handkerchief and frowned. "I know this is going to sound crazy, but you really need to go with them tonight."

Erika sniffed, wiping her tears with the back of her hand. "But I don't know how to fight! I'll get killed. "

"That's not an option; we can get you some weapons."

She shook her head; this was a mess, a total mess—a disaster of her creation and a much needed solution to save all. She had caused all of this, now what? She was left with no hope… or maybe she was just drowning in a glass of water?

Anneliese insisted, for her things weren't as easy as they looked either. Not a single day by the side of her love and she already had to let him go so he could fight against her own husband. In some way or another, Erika's victory was linked with her own. "Look, you want to make Dominick kiss you, right?" Erika agreed, "I don't know how he was in that other life where he was married to you, but _this_ Dominick likes it rough." The red-faced woman felt a wave of relief run through her, Anneliese was right! This wasn't the old Dominick, if she wanted to win his heart she had to do it **his** way. "You'll have to fight to get to his heart."  
>"What if I die?" She hesitated, thinking about what would happen if she got killed that night, her kingdom, her children… all erased from existence. "What if I mess everything up?"<p>

"What do you have left to lose?"

* * *

><p>"Why, that smile can only mean one thing." Commented the dark haired man as the other entered the stable.<p>

His grin widened, "I don't smile a lot, I know."

Nick chuckled; he knew his friend needed very strong reasons to smile. "I'm glad you're happy." He said as he continued to dress his horse.

"What about you," Julian started as he began to do the same. "You look less gloomy today." His joke wasn't of Nick's liking, but he still went on with his sentence. "And I saw the way you were looking at that Erika girl earlier."

"Yeah," he unconsciously replied, forgetting about what his mind was commanding him to reply. "I mean, you know, she's been pretty insisting. She's been following me, even came up with some crazy story where I was King and married to her."  
>"Really?"<p>

"Yes, but honestly, I like her anyway." He sighed, Julian crossed his arms. Nick's eyes went blank from all his thinking; he could still see her as if she was there with him. "She played my piano earlier. You should have heard how she sings -"

"_Why, that smile can only mean one thing._" The blond one interrupted, repeating what the other had said to him some moments ago—trying to mess with him.

Nick rolled his eyes, annoyed, but he managed to smile. "_You_ are the sentimental guy here."

Julian walked over some stands to grab some more equipment, "Where is she anyway?" Nick finished with his horse, slightly patted his back and seemed to be trying to think before answering the other's question. "I sent her to get prepared," He looked away, the evening sun hitting him on the eyes. "She has to help tonight."

"You're really making her go?"

"Yeah," He cleared his throat, "Only a few people will stay. Someone's got to stay here and watch the place. We agreed on that a long time ago, remember?"

He nodded in response. "Yeah, but Anneliese is staying. Maybe you can leave Erika to make her company."

And this is why Nick hated last minutes changes, they ruin everything else! Suddenly having Julian's sweetheart with them and accompanied by an identical girl made things a bit harder. All the same, she had to stay – unlike her dark-haired duplicate. "Anneliese is different; if you bring her she is considered _your_ weakness."

Julian crossed his arms in front of his chest. "And Erika isn't yours?"

"No-" Rapidly answered the man, his cheeks burned for a moment. Julian raised an eyebrow, "Just because I think she's pretty doesn't mean I would die if she did."

Nick stormed out, slightly mad – Julian knew he was in a total denial, just making himself hard to get.

* * *

><p>Erika felt her whole body shaking as she stood alone in the middle of the room, her hands cold and dry. Clutched in them, the hard metal handle connected to the sword she was to use that night.<p>

"Are you sure they didn't have something smaller?" The brunette asked.

Her identical friend, who was in a corner watching her, shook her head as she held her hands close to her mouth.

Erika sighed, trying to recall what the man had taught her during the few minutes they were there.

'_Just aim for the head_,' he said, '_Give it a nice swing and grab the handle as hard as you can. You'll be good to go._'

She had expected a bit more of information, and she did realize they were all in a hurry, but if they really wanted her to go then they should have taught her how to fight.

Now, this was the only weapon she had to defend herself, and she could barely lift it without shaking.

She closed her eyes, and did just what the man said, without an actual victim in front of her, of course. But the silver colored blade was so heavy that once she had stroke it, the weight made her body swirl along.

She released her grip and waited for the ruckus of the sound to end.

Anneliese sighed. Erika looked desperate, but she smiled at her when she heard the door creaking open.

Confused but not disturbed, Julian raised one of his eyebrows and slightly laughed. "What are you girls doing?"

Anneliese picked the sword from the floor, "I'm helping Erika get prepared." She had to use both of her hands, but she managed to place it upon a table. Now she understood why Erika felt so hopelessly worthless with it at hand.

"For what?"

"The attack." Erika answered, her arms crossed on her chest.

Julian shook his head while he closed the door, "You're not coming with us."  
>Anneliese looked at him, a little disappointed. "What?"<p>

"Why?" Erika added, letting her arms fall on her sides. After everything she was doing and had planned!

The blond man shrugged, walking towards his dressing table. "Anneliese has to stay here; we thought it would be better if she had some company."

Erika's eyes filled with desperation, now they were making her stay inside a room all night! Just waiting for her end to come? "But I have to go, Nick wants me to."

"We agreed that you are going to stay." He stated a bit too firmly.

They both understood why they had made this decision, but they also knew that if Erika didn't go with Dominick, things had less possibilities of going back to what Erika had said was normal.

Anneliese walked to where Julian was, placed her hand on his arm and looked at him.

"Julian, please, she needs to go."

"Anneliese,"

Erika came closer too, "If I don't… everything will stay this way Julian. Nothing will change."

The blue-eyed man didn't agree. "Everything will change tonight; we'll make sure of that."

"You don't understand,"

Feeling very much on edge, Erika glared at the man. "You can't change what will happen to me or to my children if you don't allow me to go to this attack tonight." Her voice stained with upcoming tears.

Julian's features changed with doubt and misunderstanding. "You have kids?"

"Dominick and I do." Her voice couldn't possibly sound more serious. And Julian noticed it, it didn't really matter if Erika was telling the truth – he could feel that she really wanted to assist.

"Don't let him recognize you at least until we get out of here, or he'll kill me."

Anneliese grinned, Erika sighed with relief.

* * *

><p>"The ones at the right?" Asked Nick, as he made gestures with his hands to understand better. The guard on his side didn't seem to like the girl's advice so much, so he wasn't paying much attention; he was there because he wasn't going to fail his master.<p>

A head of red screws nodded, "Yes, the third one." Said the girl.

"And are you sure she'll be there?" asked the Captain of the guards, almost with a mocking tone.

Cherry was about to reply when a "Hi," interrupted, she decided to ignore it for a moment and continue. "I am sure. And also remember that the windows are-"

"Yeah, yeah," Nick waved his hand in front of her face, "We know that."

The blonde one, Nack, added, "We've seen the windows; we have spied on you a couple of times."

His brother's eyes bulged and a smack in the head was followed by a hissed: "_She isn't supposed to know that_." made Cherry giggle. The guard rolled his eyes and shifted, making his armor plates clink.

"He, he." being used to the hits, Nack only laughed, "I knew that."

The girl, who was still dressed in her protestant outfit, kept explaining. "Just keep a sharp eye; it's very easy to escape from those huts."

"Alright, we will." Jeered Nick as he started walking to leave, "Come on, Nack. We don't have much time."

Obviously ignoring his brother, Nack stayed and offered his hand to the girl. "I'm Nack,"

He noticed the redness around her brown eyes, she'd been crying, and forcing a smile on her face she replied. "I'm Cherry."

Nack released her hand, and slightly bowed in front of her. "An honor to meet you, Cherry."

The girl felt her heat warming up when she chuckled, "Likewise, sir Nack."

The light-blond man scratched his neck, "Just call me Nack."

The girl nodded, almost about to say something else, but she was cut off by a scream from down the hall.

"Nack!"

Perhaps the only person that had been actually nice to her in a long time waved goodbye as he walked away, something about him made her feel as if she was a terrible human being. She knew what she'd done wasn't right, but she had her reasons, she was doing them a favor. The innocent in this Nack's eyes made her feel ashamed of who she had become today, felt sorrow when she saw it because she knew she had already lost much of hers.

Her head spun when her eyes found the metal suit, a symbol of how cold, hard and shallow she'd become.

* * *

><p>Erika tried not to move as Anneliese helped her dress. The clothes were too big for her; she'd be able to fit more than twice in them. An old lady that was in charge of doing all the sewing and washing had allowed Julian to borrow the clothes; a shirt, a jacket, a pair of slacks and even some small boots that fitted Erika perfectly. The Queen was doing her best to hide some of the ginormous top under the belt. So she wouldn't look so ridiculous with a nightgown-looking shirt hanging around.<p>

They hadn't even tried to borrow Julian's, it was suitable for the garments to be oversized, and the whole point was making everyone think that Erika wasn't Erika – make everything loose.

"Get the hat." said the blonde one, and as the brunette grabbed it the door opened again.

Tall and proud, wearing a steel-clad vest and a sword clinging from his belt, Julian entered the room once more. Once Anneliese finished hiding the brown strands of hair inside the hat Erika was wearing and turned to see him, she smiled and walked to him.

A stirring of feelings overwhelmed her, she didn't know if the tears threatening to drop from her eyes were from happiness of from sadness. For her, seeing her beloved dressed that way symbolized freedom – but it also signified that he'd be going out to risk his life. The only thing she was a hundred-percent sure of doing was to wrap her arms around him so he would do the same.

The bittersweet emotion made them tremble; this could be the last time they'd ever be together if something went wrong.

How she wanted to just lock that door and not allow him to leave! But she knew that even when she pleaded that, he would say '_no'_ and he would leave anyway.

Speaking on the top of her head, Julian assured, "You're going to be safe here."

She nodded, that was something she figured since she arrived – it hadn't been very effective though. "Take care." She managed to whisper, closing her eyes to squeeze the tears blurring her vision.

The man chuckled, and replied as if he was talking to an overprotective mother. "I will."

Anneliese glared at him, and took his face in her hands, the scar on his face being another painful reminder of what could happen. He was taking it all just like she supposed Dominick was, as a game. Her sapphire eyes digging into his icy ones, her mouth slightly parted and her breathing heavy. "Promise me."

Julian nodded, and understood that his attempt to make her think this wasn't so dangerous had been futile – Anneliese wasn't stupid. He placed a hand on her back and another behind her neck, leaned and forced her lips to meet with his. A warm memento that would feed his will to fight and that would help him survive no matter what. Her eyes closed but the warm tears still escaped and where now running down her cheeks; not even a day together and she had to let him go again. She pushed him closer by snaking her arms around his neck.

"I promise." Julian whispered, kissing her again. This time, Anneliese believed him.

Erika smiled when she saw them; a two-faced feeling came upon her. She felt happy because she had got them together again, but she also felt an immense grief because she knew that it was her fault they couldn't be together in the first place. Nevertheless, if the Resistance won the fight and she wasn't able to bring everything back to normal then at least they would be happy – even when she wouldn't be there to see it.

* * *

><p>The sky was painted with a thousand tones of red, orange and yellow - the sun already hiding behind the faraway mountains. Soft and calming wind blew as the hundreds of men gathered at the entrance of the hideout. Not so far was the forest, where their plan would really start to take place. Slow footsteps filled the air as everyone waited; everything became stiller when their leader's brown horse walked into the scene.<p>

Nick grinned, pulling on his horse's collar to stop it. He felt his chest being packed with honor and pride. "It hasn't been a good year," his powerful and determined voice rang all over the multitude. "We've been abused, wronged and fooled by a pair of clowns!" A wave of murmurs in agreement was heard, "We hid from them because alone we are nothing, but together we are more powerful than them. And tonight, we will take back what is ours!"

Now a flood of clapping hands raised everyone's spirit; a white horse soon walked closer to the front along with Nick's. The brown haired man smiled at the blond one, he wasn't even wearing his mask anymore! "I want to thank you all in advance." He continued, "Their hands might be stained with the blood of the late rulers, but tonight ours will be stained with _justice_!"

Nick raised his sword as high as his arm allowed him to cue everyone – it was time to go.

A total feeling of joy and emotion filled Dominick, he was determined to end the wrong Frederick had done. Nothing was going to stop him, and feeling all the people that supported his ideas and were putting their lives at risk to go and fight for what they believed was right were walking and riding along his side – it was simply a complete bliss—a relief, a mark of strength.

For once in his life he felt as if a ray of luck from the sun of fortune had shone upon him, had lighten his way and was bringing to him what he needed to be happy. Support like this he was sure he'd never find anywhere else.

His best friend, who had suffered as much as he did, rode by his side.

He truly admired him, having to live with the burden of knowing that the love of your life was taken into a forced marriage in front of your eyes was something Dominick couldn't really even think about. Sometimes he wondered how Julian made it through his whole year; he wouldn't have done it.

But he was strong, and he had run the double mile to give his friend benefits from this rebellion.

His deep trance of thought was cut off by a not so very pleasant sight behind him, a certain horse he had come to hate. Strong and half-witted, the beautiful two-colored creature belonged to Julian. They had found it wounded and almost dying a couple of months ago, the former teacher couldn't resist adopting it. An amazing looking thing, savage and unstable as well. They were almost reaching a very delicate part, once they were in the forest it was vital – essential – crucial, that no unnecessary sound was made. That's why most of the people had come walking, to eliminate the chance of a horse ruining the whole operation. And yet, the most mad and unpredictable of all had made its way in.

"Julian," He called, "Isn't that your horse?" Gesturing back with his head, Julian nodded.

"Uh, yeah." He cleared his throat; he had expected Nick to ask. "The poor lad riding it has a twisted ankle and he asked if he could borrow one of my horses because he didn't want to miss this."

"Ah, I see." That's why he loved his people! But still, now he felt nervous about having that insane horse around. "You could have asked; I could have given you another. That one is not very tamed."

Julian slightly shrugged; that was something he couldn't have done.

A couple of minutes flew by, and the group finally faced the forest, "Everyone," called Dominick, "We need to stay silent from now on." He warned.

And his people obeyed, not a soul was heard while they walked into the woods. The soft brown earth made their steps softer, while the grass made it easier to walk faster. Everything, until now, appeared to be working along their side. Fate was choosing a champion.

Excitement ran in Nick's veins when he saw the place they were going to hide in; the moment, it was here!  
>Looking up his shoulder to nod at his people, everyone hurried and took the previously planned places. Nick rushed his horse to run to the top of a near hill, his place to watch when Frederick was near.<p>

His hand sweaty, his brow twitched, and a smirk frozen on his mouth – his gaze fixed upon the road. And when the man arrived to the top, he felt the colder and stronger air hit his face, he felt as if he was on the top of the world. The view underneath him was amazing, a blanket of every single tone of green in existence. Some thin, narrow browns and grays marking the roads. It was going to be so easy to spot Frederick's carriage; everything was going to go so well. It was fool-proof, nothing could go wrong.

Or at least that's what he had been thinking; some minor errors were starting to rise. He heard an animal-like moan, once he was aware of a horse nearing him, he turned his. Julian's mangy beast, along with its temporal rider.

His expression serious, "Go back to your place, boy." He said with a warning voice, returning his look to the lower place. Not so near from them yet, he spotted a white carriage coming. Still nothing to worry about, it was pretty far.

The small rider jumped off his horse, cleared his throat to take back Nick's attention and took off the brown hat he'd been wearing. Long chocolate curls fell onto his shoulders and the other man soon realized that the rider was a _she_.

Once he took in the information, and started to ask himself why this girl had to pose as a guy, his questions were answered by her face. The girl, Erika! She sneaked off to come with _him_ – he meant, them! Julian had made him allow her to stay hidden with the Queen but she was there. The silly animal instantly wandered off when she released her grip on its collar.

"I believe the right expression is '_Go back to your place, __**girl'**_."

His face stood the same, shock froze his features. "What are you doing here?"

Erika smiled, playing with the saggy hat in her hands, "I needed to come; I couldn't stop myself from coming with you." Before he could respond, the horse neighed for no reason.

He frowned, "Shut that thing, they'll spot us." He knew that if someone from the enemy's side saw a dressed horse around, they'd know someone was close!

She ignored him, but walked closer. "I have to tell you something…"

"Speak up!" He demanded, now nervous for two things: the stupid horse and an enchantress determined to trap him.

Julian was hiding behind some tall bushes and trees, close to the dirt road but also near the end of the hill where Dominick was. In his hands was to receive Nick's hint to signal everyone else. He wasn't that nervous, but he was a bit uneasy. He never was that brave really, he only used his boldness when it was much needed. In cases of emergency. His stomach churned when he heard several horses and the sound of wooden wheels against the rough dirt coming near them. The action was about to start.

He looked up to where Dominick was to see if he motioned something, but he wasn't even standing where he said he'd be! Julian gulped and tightened his grip on the horse's lash, Frederick was nearer than he had thought. His first signal was to get everyone ready, not to attack, so maybe he could make this one without Nick.

"The only way to break my spell is if you kiss me." Erika blurted out, afraid of how he might react.

He shook his head and looked the other way, the senseless things this girl said made him angry – he hated to feel confused. "I don't know what you are talking about."

Erika walked even closer, daring to touch one of his knees. "If you kiss me everything will be back to normal," '_Normal_?' he thought, '_The only way of getting things back to my version of 'normal' is to revive my father_.' His eyes met hers - looking up like a puppy begging for food, almost watering. She looked so pret- he meant, silly. She was trying to fool him, to make him fall in her games. "You'll be King and we'll be married…"

"And we'll have the barking cat back?" He finished her sentence, guessing.

Her face lighted up, "Yes!"

Nick frowned again, no wonder why Julian had given her that horse; they complemented each other, rider and horse - both madcaps.

And speaking about the thing, it was weirder than ever, it neighed again and stared at something down the hill. Once it did it twice, he sighed in frustration.

"Erika, please," he pointed at it.

But she ignored his request, "You have to believe me," she pleaded, "You are my husband, I know you."

Nick raised an eyebrow, now this he **had** to listen to. He always loved stories, and hers felt to keep getting odder but interesting. Getting off from his horse, he placed his hands on his hips. "Prove it."

She sighed, "How do I know that you love music so much?" With that she began, her eyes glassy and her hands trembling. This wasn't so hard; she'd prove to him that she knew him more than anyone. "That you love disguises… I know that you hate to read bedtimes stories because you never had a mother to do that. That your favorite place in the whole world is your music room."

The air seemed to have been sucked out from his body, things he had never told anyone before in his life, details that were hidden in the darkest corners of his being. Yet, this woman seemed to know them all! He had begun to believe in magic when he met Lily, so he knew that there was a big chance of Erika using such ways to know those things. But if he really believed in that, then the happening and the person she was claiming to be could also be possible. What if, in fact, she had come from another place where they were married? Tears began to roll down her reddish cheeks as she continued, "How do I know you have a journal that you hide under your pillows, that if it's not with bread you can't stand soup, that you have a scar on your -"

His brute arm pulled her waist and eliminated the distance between the two. If magic was the one who had caused such thing to happen to her, if she wasn't a witch that was simply reading his mind and she truly was his wife, then there was only a way to find out. Without even asking, he roughly pressed their lips together.

For a minute, the earth stood still. Sparks began to float around them; Erika felt a weight lifted off her shoulders.

But as he broke away, with the same stern and serious face, she saw that nothing had changed.

Her world seemed to end for real at that moment, it couldn't be, this was supposed to work! Her true love kissed her! She felt so stupid and small, her lungs struggled to breathe and her heart ached.

He shook his head, he almost seemed disappointed too. "Looks like Lily fooled you too."

If it wasn't for him, she'd had fainted from this impression.

The sound of moans, yells and swords clinking broke them out from the current subject. The ruckus was coming from down the hill, where it was planned. Nick gasped, he had missed the carriage!

But as he took a glimpse he saw that they had everything under control.

On the other hand, he was stuck up here with two unreasonable creatures, one about to cry her eyes out because her senseless theory wasn't true and the other frantic about something it saw. Too frantic, perhaps… hysterical.

So, he walked over where it was, ran his hand through the horse's neck to calm it down. But it kept struggling, breathing heavily and jumping – never disconnecting its glare from a certain place down the hill.

With low spirits, broken soul and tired will, Erika got closer to help Nick – better make her last hours helpful for someone. She could help them fix what she had broken, innocent people from what was now her past would be lost for some time and maybe brought again with different faces but… that was just the way everything had turned out to be… But the adrenaline pumped within her when she saw the thing the horse had been neighing to.

One of the brown lines between all the green had turned white - nearly a thousand men, slowly walking towards them. How could he have missed that? ... Oh right, he was too busy trying to figure out Erika.

Erika gasped, she forgot about what had happened, all she knew now was that if they didn't move she was going to die even sooner than planned.

So she jumped on her horse as Nick did the same and they hurried down the hill.

* * *

><p>She couldn't sit, she couldn't relax, she couldn't eat, she couldn't read, she couldn't even rest – her mind was just concentrated in knowing what was going on with the guys. Were they okay? Was Julian alright?<p>

She rubbed her temples to ease the ache in her head; she'd be shattered if she lost him. She wouldn't be able to survive the pain, and even less the guilt.

But she knew it was better if she stayed there, all locked up until he came back. Either way, she would have felt the same. Even if she had gone with them she was going to feel as useless as she did now. So, to save them the worries, she stayed.

After all, a night of pure boredom and anguish was a low price to pay to live happily ever after, right?

Yeah, she should stay calm, maybe sleep the remaining hours away – a slow knock made her stand up from the bed almost automatically. It wasn't until she was about to turn the doorknob that she remembered she wasn't home, and that Julian had warned her about not allowing people to see her.

She retrieved her hand, and gulped. The person outside was persistent. Maybe they were being attacked! Or maybe an emergency had come up… she had to know why this person was insisting to come in.

"Who is it?" She asked once she found her voice, and nervously tucked some hair behind her ear.

"We need to talk with you about Julian." A husky and deep voice responded.

She frowned; a bit relieved to hear that the voice didn't belong to the one she feared or knew, but confused for what the man had said. She decided to open the door as she asked: "Talk about Julian?"

A smirk greeted her, along with a pair of angry caramel eyes. Anneliese gasped, felt a cold chill run down her body, as she strongly pushed the door closed again – but she failed.

The man had placed his white and expensive heel between the door and the doorframe, prohibiting her to leave him outside. With a force unknown to her, he pressed the door open, almost knocking her down.

Head held high, and hands hidden behind his back, Preminger walked into the room. Looking around with a judging eye.

Anneliese was panting, her thin hands curled into fists, and she walked to the door to try to run away – but only faced several guards standing outside. After shaking his head in disparagement he looked at her.

She gulped again, her lips dry and her mind spinning.

"My _love_," Preminger started, clearing his throat. Falseness splattered on every word. "I'm so glad to see you're okay." With that he held out his hands and walked closer to her, she frowned at him.

"Yes," She dryly answered, moving away to keep their distance. "I'm fine."

He grinned and seized his approach, "Good." His gaze ran from her head to her shoes, after remaining serious for some moments. The short man snickered, shaking his head once again. Anneliese, frozen where she stood and with no other decisions at hand, only waited to see what happened next. "That is a beautiful dress." And the silence was broken; the girl took some moments to digest what he had just said. And when she finally looked down at herself, she comprehended the true meaning and intention of his words. "All you need is to stop washing your face and you'll blend right in with these people."

Determined not to let him offend her anymore, she glared at him. "How did you find this place? What do you want?"

"A little bird told me," the man answered, and when the blonde woman cocked an eyebrow he saw that she suspected something, to clear all doubts and demolish the reputation of these people in her mind, "Yes, a red headed bird." He added. Her fists tightened, she knew who had done this. The King began to run his palms on each sleeve – as if trying to wipe something off them; she noticed he was already dressed for the occasion. "I'm here to rescue you." Was his dry next response, "You were kidnapped, and our anniversary celebration is about to begin."

Still unable to move, the Queen responded to him. "I'm not going back."

"But your family is already asking to see you." A phony concerned look took over his features; although to her they were still stained with mock almost like if he knew what she was going to say next. "They'll think that I'm a terrible husband."

Now she felt as if this was her time to mock him, feeling superior to him for the first time in a while. "You'll tell them that I'm with the man I love."

That seemed to enrage him, his eyebrow twisted and he crossed him arms on his chest.

Now that was the kind of sassiness he didn't expect. "The same man that created the group that wants us dead?" And with his horribly versatile attitude, in a moment he had a sarcastic response to his own question. "What a wonderful answer!" Her growing confidence shrank in an instant, she felt like a child again, she would never see him as a father but he was surely acting as if he owned some kind of right to tell her what to do. "Oh, and I should also make clear to them that you are a cheating-"

"Stop it, Preminger!" As the spoiled child Anneliese knew she was in his eyes, she was going to act as one. It was about time she stood up for herself, it was time for her to say and do what she wanted and felt like.

He figured she just needed a warning, perhaps a reminder of why she should follow his rules. Madness glimmered in his gaze as he walked closer. It wasn't jealousy, and even less fear or hurt – it was desperation the thing filling his eyes. After everything he'd done, his whole work would go down the drain thanks to one of her tantrums. "You are _my_ wife, not his. I'm expected to take care of you; you won't make me look bad. If that schoolboy wants you, he'll come get you."

He was now so close that if she dared to move her nose would poke his; she took a deep breath and shoved him away. "I'm staying, Preminger. I don't care what people think about me."

He cleared his throat, fixing his wig. Trying to act calmly, so she wouldn't freak on him any more than she already has. "Fine… fine." He said in between sighs as she walked to the window of the room.

"You two love each other, and I honestly don't care." Anneliese took a glimpse to see if there was a chance for her to escape, Preminger continued. "But if you stay together, I'm the one who will pay the price." But what she found when she carefully tossed the thin and tattered curtain was the gleam of a man's armor. She paled, and her body congealed once again. But her mind cleared a bit when she saw the short man standing by the door, his ring-decorated fingers holding the handle.

Preminger looked calmed, "You've made a decision, and I can't make you change your mind." The door creaked open, the same calmed and serious expression on his face. "I can't force you to come with me," Suddenly, as he smirked at her, she heard a song of metal clanking coming closer. "But they can." Gigantic silver shadows entered without an invitation, and Anneliese couldn't do anything to get out of the mess.

* * *

><p>Disbelief, anxiety and all kinds of dreadful sensations ran through the pair of brunettes as they went closer to the fighting crowd.<p>

Nick's chest relaxed and his lungs were able to expand again when he saw that the white army was still nearing them – if they were fast, they could still get away.

Only grunts and struggling prisoners were left from the prior ruckus they had heard. Exactly six guards tied and held on the ground, their horses now had new riders. And Frederick's carriage was surrounded by his men, two of them pressing the doors so he wouldn't try to escape.

For a moment, he bought everything that was happening, but when he remembered what he had discovered he hurried to tell everyone.

"Nick!" The blond man on his horse ran to him, a smile on his face. "Nick, we did it!"

Running by his side was James, the dark skinned boy he had chosen to replace Cherry. And he was also smiling, barely shaken and not even sweaty. "We are so well trained that it was a piece of cake to take these guys down!"

It was pure joy and hope what came out of their mouths, which made it harder for Nick to reveal the truth and bring the spirits down.

Julian pointed at the carriage, "Frederick's inside." He said as he cued his friend to go there.

"This is a trap!" He declared; his voice went louder as he continued so everyone could hear.

"There are more than a thousand men coming!" The air was filled with uproars from their people, everyone was clearly alarmed.

Julian paled—a thousand men? More than four times the men they had! There were doomed!

"We must move!" Julian declared, "If they want a fight, they are going to have to look for us!"

Nick's attention was stolen when one of the doors of the black carriage started to open, he knew that there was a big possibility of this not being Frederick but nothing could have prepared him to face the person replacing him.

He took his sword out because he recognized the person was far more dangerous than his dear cousin. Everyone gasped and also took out their weapons. With a silver armor, her distinctive bow on her shoulder and wearing a smirk, Cherry walked out of the carriage.

* * *

><p>Author's Note:<p>

I know, not the best chapter to repay you guys for all the time I was out.

But at least I can tell you what has been up lately! Let's see… I got my first job experience; I was a bagger at a supermarket for a month!

My wonderful, amazing, and extraordinary laptop decided to take a vacation as well – thanks a lot – my keyboard just stopped working and one of my drivers is messed up. The keyboard is new, and I have to say that is a complete torture to get accustomed to it! It's mind-twisting to just make these ""! Ugh!

I don't even know what's wrong with the disk driver, I've tried everything and nothing works.

Anyways, I want to thank everyone who has review this story :D And 'cause I couldn't thank 'Guest' and 'Me', then here you go: Guest, I'm very happy you are enjoying this! And of course I will continue, I've gone too far to stop ;). Me, the ending is very near thanks for leaving a review!

I'm alreayd working with the next chapter so stay tuned!

Thanks for reading and let me know what you think by leaving a review! :D


	9. Paradise (What about us)

**S.U.R.V.I.V.E**. by Rhaella Valysar

* * *

><p><em>Beta Reader: Avatarfan445 :D!<em>

* * *

><p><strong><em>Chapter 9:<em>** _**Paradise (What about us?)**_

Cherry's eyes were piercing Nick's since she opened the door of the carriage, as if she was trying to find some kind of wound. Some hint to compensate her actions. Actions that, after all, she had made with fuzzy eyes.

The girl looked at the crowd, motionless faces splashed with incredulity. With an air of superiority, she walked out of the carriage. The men that had been holding down the doors, as flabbergasted as everyone else, took steps back to allow her to walk through.

"We've been right behind you all along." Now, almost facing Nick, the redhead's sneer sliced the silence in half as he got down from his horse.

Then the total solid silence returned after she spoke - there were no words to describe what they wanted to say, not even a reason to attack the girl, yet. The Resistance stood still waiting for the next event to happen, it wasn't until the armored traitor whistled that they realized she wasn't joking.

In mere seconds the silence was devoured by loads of clanking metals and running hooves. Their horses neighed and kicked in distress as they sensed the enemy getting near.

Nick sighed, closed his eyes and hung his head when he saw that the white line between the green had arrived. Wearing armor similar to Cherry's, the men said nothing as they surrounded the group. It was then that he knew that Cherry was in charge of this army. She had finally lost it.

His men began to murmur, some cursed and others stood quiet and serene. Yet there were others that –even though they saw they had an extremely small chance of winning – took out their weapon and prepared to fight. This was going to be uglier than he had thought; he had to save as many people as he could. He rapidly looked behind his shoulder, hoping to send Erika away. She understood that faster, he thought, for the girl was not near him anymore. His guts twisted a bit, but he did his best to keep focused in the matter at hand.

"Cherry… You betrayed us." He said as if he had just figured that out.

The girl rolled her brown eyes, "You _replaced_ me. So I offered my services to someone who would appreciate them more."

Nick shook his head, eager to maintain the ember of her conscience alive and hoping to strike a nerve in her. "We're your friends." He pointed out.

For a moment her smirk died, her shoulders slumped and her eyebrows warped, but in mere seconds they regained their hard and stern form. Salt sent straight to the fresh wound. "Friends don't punish each other."

Then, it was Julian who tried to interfere – for he felt he was the one who caused what made her feel that way. "You tried to harm someone very dear to me."

Anger made her hands curl into fists, her pale cheeks turned red. "This has nothing to do with her!" Taking several steps even closer, she pointed her index finger at him. "If you were my friend you would have supported me, even a little, you wouldn't have supplanted me."

James, who had been watching in horror as one of his best friends signed their death certificates with the enemy, also tried to give his opinion. After all, he was the one who had taken her place. He walked to her, and mindlessly grabbed Cherry's shoulder. But the hissing chorus of swords being pulled out from their cases made him retreat.

The white army's expressions never changed, but their hands now held thick swords that were nearly mirrors.

Everyone shifted and complained.

Nick was next to take out his sword, just in case. "This is between you and us, tell these men to stay out of this."

The girl shook her head, the answer Nick dreaded. "It feels good to have people that support you, doesn't it?" Her arm rose up in the air to point at her army. "They _are_ part of this." Her face stony and unsympathetic, it reminded Nick of his mother when she was lecturing him. "We came to stop you all. And you have two options; surrender and pledge loyalty to King Preminger or fight for your freedom and die trying."

With that final threat, Nick turned away from the girl; facing Julian and the rest of his crew. Their gazes reflected nothing but confusion and glimmered with traces of panic.

He was the leader, he had brought them here. It was clear since the day they got together that death was a possible result. But optimism had blinded them since then.

They communicated through their eyes, noiseless. It hit them like a wave of pride to realize what the decision was. Life belongs to the clever and wise people, not to the intelligent and strong ones. _Clever people _master _life_; the wise illuminate it and create fresh solutions.

The plan had been simple, it had been nearly shattered to pieces just moments ago, but now it had been glued back together by the ones who had broken it.

The girl with the bow insisted to have a response from her former boss. "I think the answer is pretty obvious." She tried to joke.

And Nick didn't hesitate to let her know his decision, "We came here to fight, not to be defeated."

The reply stabbed Cherry's conscience; she even flinched and lowered her eyes. "I wish you'd think again about this," She said, she had been hoping to plant fear and dread since she arrived. So she could call off the men she brought with her and by that gain some respect from her friends – who would still be alive. She then remembered how much they all wanted this, not even a million men would have stopped them from continuing. "Until the end," she recalled one of them saying. Her chin high once again, her eyelids halfway closed. "But if this is your choice—" Her own sword now stood up in the air. "So be it!"

* * *

><p>"Take me back!"<p>

She cried, for the hundredth time since they arrived. Preminger massaged his temples as he sat in the middle of her room. He'd come there to talk her into following his orders, but she was being plainly unreasonable. The Princess paced around him, as if she was trying to intimidate his little being. With a wave of his hand he caught her attention, "My dear. That is truly impossible."

Anneliese sniffled, covering her face with her hands as it dropped. The older man sighed, rolling his eyes and turning his look to his hands. The girl then took a deep breath; she was tired of his attitude. He wasn't the boss of her. She was Queen too.

Her back suddenly straight, her shoulders tensed and her fists clenched by her sides. "Then I'll be leaving."

The King choked a chuckle, never moving his gaze from the thick golden rings decorating his fingers. "Even when it is the day of our anniversary, I'm afraid that everything you are asking of me I cannot do for you."

Anneliese scoffed, yet she replied with a fine and calmed tone. "Fine."

He expected her to hear the sound of a door shutting close – he expected her to hide in her closet or the bathroom - or receive an order to leave. But all he heard were her new, too clean shoes clicking on the floors as she furiously walked to the entrance door of her room. And just as the desperate jerking on the doorknob began, he stood up.

Preminger fixed the bow on his neck; he straightened his vest and brushed his sleeves. Even took out his mirror and adjusted his powdered wig. He literary got ready for the ball all over again, and the infernal sound never seized. She was stubborn alright; he had to give her some points for that. But she wasn't winning, not at any cost.

"There are guards outside of your door," Said the amber eyed man, making the blonde woman freeze. "At your balcony," His heels clicked across the floor, warning her of his approaching. "Watching the staircase," Her hands glued to the golden doorknobs. "Guarding the front entrance." He stopped walking, "One by nearly every window." A chortle escaped his mouth as he talked. "The ones having a blast must be the ones I sent to the kitchen." But not even that made the girl twitch, "Guards all over the palace, Anneliese. You can't run away." Now that that was clear, he walked to her side. "Now, come on. Our guests are waiting."

"I'll tell them!" She snapped; her eyes still red and glossy; her long blonde hair flowing in the air as she made the abrupt turn to face him. "I'll make everyone know that you are a liar!" One of her long and thin fingers one nearly touching his hooked nose. "That you and my mother forced me to get married," Preminger figured she'd find out about that sooner or later. But no one would believe, not without her late mother's support. And after they saw the condition she was in, her family would think she had finally gone nuts. "That you planned my kidnapping so you could be King," Now, who would believe **that**? They'd admit her poor grasp on reality, and if she mentioned the persons that spilled those beans on her they'd have to accept she was insane. "_And_ that you tried to kill Julian-"

'_Well, the cat's finally out of the bag.'_ He mentally remarked, _'And I don't like cats.'_

"And I shall tell them that I did it in order to save you from him today." He cut her off, raising one of his eyebrows.

The look of horror that conquered her face in less than a second made him feel smug. All the steaming anger driving her presence ran away. "That I had to take _drastic_ measures to make him release you."

The woman's arms dropped, hands morphing into fists once again. Preminger had just proposed to add another line to his web of lies, and she was going to stand there and let him? Through clenched teeth, she managed to answer. "It's a scar, not a wound."

He smiled, the stupid teacher never – ever left her mind. That, he was going to use to control her. "It can become a wound again if I command it." The color on her face drained away, her eyebrows loosened and her eyes grew with concern and disbelief – just like he had expected. "Or even worse…" He added, his fingertips pasted together as he began to walk. "You see dear, those scrapes can have any origin I want."

Anneliese sucked in a sharp breath of air when she realized that her wounded hand was still wrapped in a stained cloth and her arm was slashed by several thin, red lines. She had forgotten about her encounter with the little redheaded savage, and it seemed she was going to have to change her dress. "They won't believe you." She ventured to try a tone of defiance with the reply.

And it definitely worked.

The little man frowned, turned to her and adopted her last angry pose. His index finger hovering in front of her face as he stood on the tip of his heels to face her. "Try me, princess." Preminger hissed. Anneliese's sudden burst of confidence fainted when she saw the glowing anger the man was emanating. "Just do something to ruin this night, and I shall ruin the rest of your and his life."

But the anger was short lived; it was supposed to be a happy night. He cleared his throat, ran his hands on his sleeves to keep them from wrinkling again and he regained his posture. "Now," He looked up at her, offering his arm for her to take, "Let's enjoy this fine event, shall we?"

* * *

><p>A storm of swords.<p>

That's how the sound eating the forest could have been described as.

The men dressed in shiny metal armors swung their blades effortlessly. _Just taking out the trash_, like their King commented when he sent them with the fire-haired girl.

The Resistance, the group that had lodged fear in both kingdoms, nearly crushed. They had their strong fighters; _that_ they had to admit. But they were still no match for them. No match for the men who had proved themselves strong enough to protect the King.

Silly, rebellious and hormone-fueled youngsters were the order of the day. Most of them were young enough to stir pity in some of the soldiers. Boys with thick skulls.

Yet, when the white army wasn't facing a group of acne-ridden fighters, they were facing buff, rough and ruthless men. Unlike them, The Resistance had an awful balance when it came to strength. To be in the staff of the royal bodyguards, one had to possess certain traits. But the bastard group that constantly attacked the castles didn't have any rules; if you wanted in, you were in.

Knowing all of that, Preminger's guards fought with clear confidence. Not even bothering to kill anyone, since they knew it would be wasting the sharpness of their sword in debris. Unlike they had thought, the rebels were actually being taken down with total ease.

Even when a lot fought with their thin and cheap swords, a lot also surrendered instantly when they felt the brush of the enemy's weapon near any part of their bodies.

Weird, yes. Convenient, _very_.

Yet, it wasn't odd to see one of the founders of the group fighting against several guards at the time. The people who didn't know the blond man would never guess that a year ago he had been a peaceful, harmless teacher who worked at the castle.

Julian wasn't really looking to bring any of the guards down; he was actually keeping an eye on those who were too dangerous for his group to fight with. He had learned from the best, but he was aware of the huge disadvantage they had against the enemy. Dominick was doing somehow the same, but Julian could notice the glimmer of anger in his eyes as he danced around them with his sword.

As the blond man ran to help a group of his men fighting against another bunch or royal guards, he also noticed Cherry nearby. One of his eyebrows rose, she'd made them think she'd be fighting against them. But there she was, riding her horse, watching while everyone fought.

He noticed the sudden lack of color on her cheeks and lips, and the strong grip she had on the horse's collar. However, as much as this intrigued him, Julian's thoughts were interrupted by a sudden whimper.

A scrawny boy, whose eyes had been swallowed by his face, just lying on the ground as a man nearly the double of his size kicked his bones out.

Julian frowned, and he ran towards them. Without thinking it twice, he grabbed the man's shoulder and made him turn. Next thing the armored giant saw were the man's knuckles against his eyes.

He blinked in surprise, little white stars danced in front of his sight for less than a second, and a dangerous smirk bloomed on his face when he looked down. With a single push he sent the blond man down, Julian gasped.

For a moment he regretted his last move, but when he saw the boy behind them running off, he sighed with relief. The guard, on the other hand, had other ideas, and while Julian tried to get back on his feet he heard a slashing sound – a shiny blade hovered too close to Julian's face.

His own fear reflected on that crystal clear piece of metal, and for a minute he regretted this whole ordeal he had agreed to create. He was about to lose it all, everything that he'd worked for in the last year – gone, thanks to an act of bravery.

The husk and tall man chuckled, "You've got guts, kid." His gloved hand drew the sword all the way down to Julian's stomach, "Too bad I'm going to have to take them out."

His blue eyes shut close; he had even forgotten he had a sword of his own. Fear had conquered every single cell on his body and all he was able to do in response was take away the sight from his own brain. He hadn't planned anyone to respond like this. All of the other soldiers were just making sure they surrendered. And sure, it was wrong of him to just punch the guy – but that didn't give him the right to paint the forest with his blood.

And just when his brain was able to put together an answer that might distract the giant, he heard a female voice shout, followed by a running horse.

"Ugh," The guard murmured as he withdrew his weapon.

Julian saw their lady captain approaching, a frown upon her face. He couldn't explain the relief that overtook his being when she rushed her horse and jumped off it. That sigh he gave away was the most relieving thing he had ever done.

He stayed still until Cherry was between him and the giant. She frowned at the man, who was half of her in height and weight, her hands now shaking fists. "Your King said _beaten_, not dead."

And although Julian recalled that that went against the threat she'd made before, it was somehow good to know the little buffoon wanted them alive – even if that could bring greater pain than death itself.

While she watched the guard go, Julian went back to his feet. Shaking off the dirt stuck to his garments, ready to thank the girl.

But before he could look or talk to her, she dug a claw on his shoulder and she made him turn back. Brusquely grabbed his hands and swiftly tied them together.

Julian was then dragged along by the rope binding his hands, and he was taken aback by the small woman's strength.

He knew her; she really was a joy to be around – when she wasn't gushing all over him or being annoying – she was funny, cheerful and an unstoppable chatterer. So he knew better than to try to get her to talk when she hadn't said a word to him.

Reason why Julian glued his own lips. And he just followed the person who took him prisoner, the same person who had been part of his alliance, who had been willing to jump off a cliff if he asked her too, the same person who had tried to kill for him a few hours ago.

* * *

><p>Dominick wished he could have been a little boy right now. That way no one would have blamed him for crying at the moment.<p>

He felt a tremendous pressure on his chest, a pounding ache inside his skull. Today was one of the most important days of his life; he had planned every single detail during the last months. And there he stood, watching how everything went down in flames.

He had decided to stay low for a while; he was a wanted man, after all. His crimes were far worse than simply organizing a rebellion against a pair of kings. Like that time he single-handedly set fire to the kingdom's whole market street. After he warned and frightened off everyone in it, of course. It wasn't really about him breaking the law, it was about the humiliation he had been bringing to his cousin – the King.

Plus, he needed some time alone to digest this sudden and uncertain change in the plan. _Would it work?_ He kept asking himself, and every single time he repeated the question, another hole was poked into the uncertain result.

He wasn't sure. Perhaps this had been a mistake since the beginning, maybe he really wasn't supposed to be king. Maybe life had some other – more important and interesting – things for him. Maybe that's why he had met Erika today, because, maybe, she was the thing he needed to forget the pain.

But that maybe, was just a maybe.

And he had learned that if he wanted things to be done correctly, he had to do them himself. And he had worked so hard to avenge his father and to recover his rightful place as King that he hadn't doubted any of his last decisions.

All ruined thanks to some love triangle.

And speak of the Devil, there they were. The red of Cherry's hair caught his eye, but what made him instinctively stand up was the sight of his partner. His hands tied, now a prisoner.

He knew that everyone was being captured, but the fact that it was Cherry who took Julian was too maddening for him to handle. How dare she? Nick would have preferred to be held captive by Preminger himself instead of her at the moment.

So, forgetting that maybe the guards wouldn't be so easy on him for being the leader of the rebel group, Nick began to walk out of his hideout. But before he could skip over the last shrubs in his way, a woman's voice hissed his name from behind.

As he looked over his shoulder, his heart skipped a beat.

She hadn't abandoned him like he thought, there she was. The mysterious and wonderful Erika mounted on his horse.

"Come on!" She hissed, waving her hand for him to go to her. "We have to go."

He felt amazing when he saw her; she cared for him, she really did. And the fact that she came back for him was enough to consider tomorrow's walk once again. Even when he had just proven that she was a bit on the crazy side.

But he couldn't go with her, not right now, he had to help his friends.

Nick shook his head, "I can't leave them," He turned to her, walking a bit closer. "I have to save them."

The girl rolled her eyes, sighing. "If you stay they'll imprison you too."

Nick froze for a moment, she was right. They'd take him prisoner as well and who knew if even worse. It was the plan after all, but it had been too sudden. What if the guards decided he wasn't worthy of a second chance? What if instead of locking him up they decided he had to die without questions or answers?

He thought about it some more, deciding that if someone dare to get in his way he would just have to push them away, if they refused, then he'd slice them away. Right now, he had lost everything that mattered; he knew that even if Julian had been taken prisoner no harm was to be done to him. Anneliese wouldn't allow it; Julian was safer inside that hellhole than out here. But he wasn't, and he was willing to show the world that he was tired of being stepped on. "They'll have to kill me first."

Erika gulped, and when she bent to look closer at him, he noticed her reddened eyes. She'd been crying, because, for all he knew, she had also lost everything that mattered to her. And with her teeth slightly clenched, she answered to his last retort. "You can't save them if you're dead."

She took him by the collar with an iron grip; Nick understood and jumped on the horse with her. And as she rode off to the next stage of her improvised plan, she felt a tired smile on her lips. She caused all of this; she had failed to return everything to its rightful place. So even if it killed her, she was going to fix their worlds.

* * *

><p><strong><em>Author's Note:<em>**

_I'm baaaaaaaaaaaaack!_

_Hey all you people! After, a year -a half?-!_

_Sorry that I took so long to update, even if it wasn't such a long chapter or a lot of new stuff for the story itself, but still. I promise that the next one will be filled with juicy action and lots of interesting events ;) This chapter, after all, needed to be here so yeah._

_Stick around, though. The Resistance, crazy people, did something crazy! Literary running towards the wolf's mouth! Anneliese is being forced to control herself, and she'll need that mental reminder when a certain teacher arrives as a prisoner... Erika has given up all hopes in saving herself, but she's willing to lose everything to leave everyone happy again. And well, you know the other details waiting to explode ;) Stay tuned! I promise the next update won't take so long :D_

_I want to thank everyone who kept insisting for an update, you guys are the reason I came back! lmL And also the ones who left a review and all, thank you all! Especially my lovely -and patient- beta-reader Avatarfan445, who even after all this time gave me back the chapter in just one night! :D  
><em>

_Oh, I almost forgot! The title is also a song! Go look it up, I'm not a huge fan, but they're nice! _

Paradise (What about us?) by Within Temptation ft. Tarja.

_So, I have to go D: No, I still don't have internet at my house -_- Thanks, Mom. _

_**But** if you have anything to say - please, have something to say -_ **leave a review! **

_And even PM me if you want to know what's been goin' on! I love to texting/writing messages and all those sorts of thing ;-; 3_


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